DELAWARE- As part of the American Rescue Plan, $110 million will be used to invest in broadband throughout Delaware.
Department of Technology & Information (DTI) Chief Information Officer Jason Clarke says most of the work will need to be done in Sussex County.
"In many cases, we have fiber running down it," Clarke said. "It's just the last mile of connection that we need to focus on and this allocation allows us to do that. In Sussex County, it's our most rural area by far in the state of Delaware and as a result we have these pockets."
DIT says over 11,000 homes and businesses do not have broadband service. Over 7,300 of those places are in Sussex County.
Farmers and business owners like 35th District Representative Jesse Vanderwende say broadband access lets people work quicker and anywhere, especially in agriculture.
"I can pull out my cell phone and I can check on my poultry houses, where the harvesters are in the field as we speak, and I can also look at irrigation systems," Vanderwende said. "And to make all that technology come together and be profitable for us as a family, as a business, and as an industry we need this last piece to make this happen."
The need for high speed computer access only grew during the pandemic with telehealth emerging as the main avenue for doctor visits.
Indian River School District Public Information Officer David Maull says that need was increased with last year's remote learning and now as students use computers for homework.
"The main benefit of this is going to be in the homes of our students," Maull said. "Because if you looked at the map provided by the Governor there are areas in our district, there are areas that are well-served by broadband and others in our district that are not well-served by it. And this created some challenges during the pandemic."
The first step to getting more broadband in Sussex is a grant program which will help fund those improvements along with the $110 million in federal dollars. Full details on the grant program are expected to be announced in October.
