$1.86 billion in funding will be awarded to boost high-speed Internet access in California through the Broadband Equity, Access and Implementation ?BEAD? as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act of 2021 of the president biden.
The funds will help provide reliable and affordable high-speed Internet access to all families in California, in addition to the $6 billion the state has allocated to build the broadband infrastructure network.
"Billions of dollars are flowing our way, fueling our efforts to provide all Californians, regardless of zip code, with Internet access," said California Governor Gavin Newsom.
He added that this injection of funds will help build on the work done in recent years with the Legislature to reduce red tape around broadband infrastructure projects and bring high-speed Internet access to more Californians, "which will help make the digital divide a thing of the past."
This allocation nearly doubles the amount of funding available for "last mile" broadband infrastructure in California. In 2021, the Governor signed historic legislation allocating $6 billion to achieve broadband for all, including $2 billion for similar projects and $3.25 billion for the half-mile network, while the budget for the year last year allocated an additional $550 million to the project as construction progresses.
Last year, California broke ground on the state's nearly $4 billion broadband "middle mile" initiative, which will be the largest broadband infrastructure backbone in the country.
Approximately one in five Californians does not have reliable and affordable high-speed Internet access. However, once completed, funding for "last mile" efforts will support Internet connections from "middle mile" lines to homes and businesses, as well as efforts to ensure people can afford service. broadband where it already exists.
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