Plan to connect over 99% of Coloradans with affordable, high-speed internet over the next five years gets the green light
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper, Michael Bennet, and Governor Jared Polis welcomed the Biden Administration’s announcement that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Colorado’s plan to use over $826 Million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to connect every household with affordable, high-speed internet.
With NTIA’s official approval, Colorado can now access and begin to distribute federal funding to build-out high-speed broadband in underserved communities across the state.
“Our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the largest investment in high-speed and affordable broadband ever, is closing the digital divide for Tribes and small business owners in rural communities across Colorado,” said Hickenlooper. “We’re ready to finish what we’ve started.”
“Affordable, high-speed broadband is essential for modern American life. Colorado helps lead the way on successful implementation of the BEAD Program, which will bridge the digital divide for communities across Colorado — especially our rural areas, low-income neighborhoods, and communities of color,” said Bennet.
“Colorado is excited to expand reliable, high-speed broadband across our state and this approval of our plans for BEAD funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will accelerate those efforts,” said Polis. “I was pleased to be the first governor in the nation to support this law and I thank the Biden administration for their partnership. We look forward to seeing even more Colorado households get access to the internet they need to thrive.”
Hickenlooper was part of the bipartisan group who wrote and negotiated the broadband provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which established NTIA’s BEAD program.
The BEAD program is the largest broadband investment in American history, and provides funding to build essential infrastructure and connect communities to high-speed internet. The program prioritizes unserved and underserved locations that have no or very slow internet access. In Colorado, 10 percent of locations are unserved or underserved, and 190,850 households lack access to the internet.
More information is available HERE.
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