To grant every household in America the right to a high-speed internet connection, the White House announced on the 26th of June the investment of $42 billion which president Biden has signed. According to the fact sheet that the White House released, it was launched that this investment will go through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. The primary intention of this program is to provide citizens, who have not yet had access, with high-speed internet.
This was certainly welcomed by the masses, especially the households and the small businesses that are in the areas that are currently lacking high-speed internet infrastructure. As we all know, internet has become an inseparable part of our lives as we use it for daily business such as communicating with clients, entertainment purposes such as listening to music, or setting up 2023/24 NFL future picks, but mostly, we use internet to connect to each other. This investment will make the users’ experience more dependable, conventional and benefitable, particularly for the business owners.
What are the details of the BEAD program?
It has been announced that the funding will be allocated to each US state, so that every state will be able to provide high-speed internet for every household by the end of 2023. The funding will differ from state to state, ranging from $3 to $27 million. Some of the highlights included in the fact sheet include:
- Each state receives a minimum of $107 million in awards, which range in value from $27 million to almost $3.3 billion.
- The top 10 allocations went to Alabama, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, with 19 states receiving more than $1 billion in total.
- By 2030, every resident and small business in all 50 states, Washington, DC, and the territories will be connected to dependable, affordable high-speed internet thanks to these funding allocations and additional Biden administration commitments.
What is the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and what does it entail?
The BEAD program is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which is a legislation passed by the Congress and signed by the President. The purpose of this legislation is to provide means of investment in infrastructure for a wide range of sectors, including broadband internet, renewable energy, water supply networks and so forth. Apart from the BEAD program, this legislation also supports the following:
- $14.2 billion for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)
- $2.75 billion for the Digital Equity Act (DEA)
- $2 billion for the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBC)
- $2 billion for the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Reconnect Program
- $1 billion for the Middle Mile Program
What is the internet situation in the USA currently?
According to the statistics, there were close to 299 million internet users recorded in the USA, which makes the country one of the largest online markets in the world. In a ranking order, the US has the third place in the world. Hence, it can be concluded that the internet is widely spread and relatively advanced in most of the territory. However, there are still areas that have limited access for distinct reasons. Here are a few of them:
1. Broadband Availability
Broadband internet, which the government is intending to spread all over the territory, is available in 97% of it, according to Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The average speed of this internet connection is 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. Nevertheless, 3% of the territory, usually in the rural areas, is not connected to broadband. This brings us to the second reason, that of connectivity challenges.
2. Rural Connectivity Challenges
Even though the government has made continuous attempts which have brought considerable progress, some deep rural areas in the US still face challenges regarding internet connectivity. Thus, these people usually lack the access to broadband connection. The excessive cost of infrastructure deployment in sparsely inhabited areas is frequently the cause of this challenge in rural communities.
3. Internet Affordability
It should be noted that the internet is still a luxury item for some families, particularly the low-income ones. It may be challenging for everyone to utilize the internet equally due to the cost of the services and infrastructure of broadband connection. As a result, certain people are prevented from having equitable access to the internet. Nevertheless, programs such as for instance the Affordable Connectivity Program aim to provide fair internet access to all population.
Conclusion
Overall, despite major improvements in internet connectivity in the USA, work is still being done to close remaining gaps in accessibility, cost, and digital literacy. The objective is to guarantee that all Americans have access to dependable, fast internet connectivity so they may fully engage in modern daily activities such as education, job, healthcare, and other areas. The government’s $42 billion investment plan for high-speed internet was specifically created for this reason. The overarching goal is to resolve the issues with internet connectivity and make sure that everyone can take advantage of the potential provided by the digital age. The Biden administration is striving towards a more interconnected and inclusive America through several group endeavors.
