Louisiana is the first state to receive planning dollars from a pair of high-speed internet programs in the infrastructure law. Funding is expected to reach other states soon.
The federal government is cracking open the spigot on billions of dollars available to states for expanding high-speed internet access.
The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration said this week Louisiana was the first state to receive planning grants under two programs that are part of the bipartisan infrastructure law President Biden signed last year. All 50 states and six territories applied for funding from these programs and grants will be awarded on a rolling basis, according to Commerce.
“The Internet for All initiative is on track and on schedule,” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement, referencing the name the Biden administration is using for a slate of broadband programs in the infrastructure law. “Over the coming weeks, every state and territory will have funding in hand.”
Route Fifty
By Bill Lucia
SEPTEMBER 1, 2022