US to spend over $42 bn to provide high-speed internet by 2030

SAN FRANCISCO: The US has announced to spend more than $42 billion to provide reliable, affordable and high-speed internet to all American states by 2030.

The US Department of Commerce announced funding for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and US territories, which has been hailed by the White House as the largest internet funding announcement in history.

"High-speed internet is no longer a luxury -- it is necessary for Americans to do their jobs, to participate equally in school, access health care, and to stay connected with family and friends," the White House wrote in a fact sheet.

Under the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment programme, the $42.45 billion grants will fund high-speed internet infrastructure deployment. Nineteen US states received allocations over $1 billion with the top 10 allocations to Alabama, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

Awards will range from $27 million to more than $3.3 billion, with every state receiving a minimum of $107 million.

In addition to helping connect everyone in America to high-speed internet, this funding will support manufacturing jobs and crowd in private sector investment by using materials made in the US.

"For example, anticipating this major investment in high-speed internet infrastructure deployment, earlier this year, fibre optic cable manufacturers CommScope and Corning announced $47 million and $500 million expansions of their domestic manufacturing capacity, which will create hundreds of good-paying American jobs in North Carolina," the White House said.

Moreover, US President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan included over $25 billion for high-speed internet.