US To Spend $42B To Make Internet Access Universal

The White House on Monday divvied up $42 billion among the nation's 50 states and U.S. territories to make access to high-speed broadband universal by 2030, as it launched a new publicity campaign for President Joe Biden's economic policies.

Reuters reports the funding under the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program was authorized by the $1 trillion 2021 infrastructure law Biden championed. The spending will be based on a newly released FCC coverage map that details gaps in access.

Texas and California - the two most populous U.S. states - top the funding list at $3.1 billion and $1.9 billion, respectively. But other, less populous states like Virginia, Alabama and Louisiana cracked the top 10 list for funding due to lack of broadband access. These states have large rural areas with less internet connectivity than their major cities.

"It's the biggest investment in high-speed internet ever. Because for today's economy to work for everyone, internet access is just as important as electricity, or water, or other basic services," Biden said in a White House address on Monday.

Millions of Americans who have been struggling to connect to the internet may soon find it easier to get online, thanks to an infusion of funding from the federal government approved in late 2021. https://t.co/ie72ZTwJm5

— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 27, 2023

The awards range from $27 million to U.S. territories like U.S. Virgin Islands to over $3.3 billion for Texas, with every state receiving a minimum of $107 million.