WILMINGTON, Del. - Delaware Governor John Carney and Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long have announced $107 million in federal funding to work towards connecting every Delaware home and business to high-speed internet.
Officials say that the new funding is part of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, or BEAD, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. They say BEAD is meant to get all Americans online by supporting partnerships between states or territories, communities, and stakeholders to build infrastructure where needed and increase adoption of high-speed internet.
They say BEAD focusses on places with no internet access or speeds under 25/3 Mbps. The next priority after that is underserved locations with 100/20 Mbps speeds.
To accomplish BEAD's goal requires running high-speed fiber or deploying other technologies into areas that internet service companies have not previously served because there were too few customers, says officials. Once that infrastructure is in place, they say residents can subscribe to internet the same way people have for years.
They say Delaware is in the process of connecting more than 6,000 homes and businesses over 18 months, with 3,100 of those completed already.
“Once we reach the 6,000 addresses currently under way, there will still be nearly 15,000 Delaware homes and businesses – mostly in the rural areas of our state – that either have no access to internet or access below useable levels. Those 15,000 homes and businesses are the ones that will be helped by this $107 million BEAD investment,” said Governor Carney. “We are aiming to be the first state in the country with broadband access for every resident, as our President works to connect every home in the country to high-speed internet eventually. I want to thank the federal delegation and the Biden Administration for their advocacy for these funds.”
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was passed in 2021, committing to improving roads, bridges, transit, water and wastewater systems, broadband, energy and other infrastructure areas.
“Somewhere in Delaware right now there's a child without access to online educational learning; a mom without a job and no way to research prospects; and a neighbor with no way to check in on their extended family. That should never be anyone’s reality. Like a digital railroad track, broadband internet access is the connector to jobs, opportunities, and support away from home. This recent investment in high-quality broadband is just another way to close the digital divide and ensure every Delawarean is successful and thriving,” said Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long.
“We cannot overstate the importance of having high-speed internet in every Delaware home. An internet connection is a lifeline to exploring more job options, pursuing educational opportunities, and staying well through telehealth access — to name just a few examples,” said Delaware Broadband Office Executive Director Roddy Flynn. “Our office hears every day from constituents who feel they are being left behind because they do not have access, or simply cannot afford, high-speed internet service. With the BEAD investment, our goal is to make sure every Delawarean can take full advantage of the benefits of digital society.”
“The pandemic showed all of us just how necessary it is for every home to have access to reliable internet,” said Senators Carper and Coons and Representative Blunt Rochester. “Thanks to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) initiative, made possible only through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Delawareans in every corner of the state will gain access to a quality internet connection. No longer will where someone chooses to make their physical home limit their access to the digital landscape.”
