Georgia Lands $1.3 Billion to Expand Broadband
Thursday, October 3rd, 2024
The U.S. Commerce Department last week gave initial approval to more than $1.3 billion in federal funding to expand broadband connectivity in Georgia.
The money is part of a federal investment of more than $2.9 billion to deploy broadband infrastructure in Georgia, South Carolina, Minnesota, and Iowa. The funding will come through the bipartisan infrastructure spending bill Congress passed in 2021.
“Last year, we announced $1.3 billion in federal funding to surge broadband connectivity across our state,” U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said Thursday. “Today’s announcement is a major next step toward ensuring every Georgian family and business has high-speed internet.”
“Since day one, my administration has prioritized bringing opportunity to all parts of our state, including those areas often overlooked,” Gov. Brian Kemp added. “Securing these resources is the latest step we’ve taken to ensure that high-speed internet access is available throughout the state.”
The four states still must obtain final approval of the federal funding to begin deploying the additional broadband.
Capitol Beat is a nonprofit news service operated by the Georgia Press Educational Foundation that provides coverage of state government to newspapers throughout Georgia. For more information visit capitol-beat.org.
