WASHINGTON — Delaware’s plan to expand affordable, high-speed internet access statewide has received final approval from the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). According to a release from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration , the approval clears the way for the state to begin construction on networks that will connect 5,721 homes and small businesses still lacking reliable internet.
The funding, part of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, allocates more than $107 million to Delaware. This initiative is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s larger “Internet for All” plan to provide all Americans with reliable and affordable high-speed internet.
"To make our country more competitive, everyone in America needs access to quality, affordable high-speed internet service so they can fully participate in our modern economy,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement. "Today, Delaware can begin building the networks to ensure that people throughout the state can get connected."
Delaware’s next steps include signing agreements with internet service providers to construct the BEAD-funded networks, with work set to begin this year. The project aims to address the state’s remaining "unserved" locations — areas where high-speed internet infrastructure does not yet exist.
The BEAD program, a $42.5 billion state grant initiative funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is designed to ensure universal internet access across the U.S. States and territories can also use BEAD funding for internet adoption efforts, training, and workforce development programs.