In Durham, Gov. Cooper and US Commerce secretary unveil $45B national internet expansion
Gov. Roy Cooper and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced a “major” expansion of affordable high-speed internet in North Carolina and across the country in Durham Friday.
The Internet For All initiative will invest $45 billion “to provide affordable, reliable, high-speed internet for everyone in America by the end of the decade,” according to Raimondo. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce, will administer the funds to states, including North Carolina.
“This is by far the biggest investment in internet ever in our nation’s history,” Raimondo said at the announcement, staged at Durham’s Kramden Institute.
Internet accessibility issues have been one of Cooper’s frequent talking points. Remote learning issues during the pandemic amplified the severity of North Carolina’s internet shortages, he said. About 1.1 million people across the state still don’t have access to high-speed internet or can’t afford it, according to Census data.
“The thing that has come out of this pandemic is that it put a bright spotlight on challenges we already knew about,” Cooper said. “.... We knew that we had to connect North Carolina with high speed internet access but we just didn’t have the funding.”
U.S. Rep. David E. Price, a Democrat representing North Carolina’s Fourth District, likened the issue to limited electricity access in early 1900s, which the federal government helped address.
“It’s kind of like rural electrification was in the last century,” he said. “...Now more than ever the federal government needs to step up.”
Internet For All will encompass three separate funding programs. The largest — Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) — accounts for $42.5 billion. After submitting a letter of intent and a planning funds budget to the federal government, each state will be immediately eligible for $5 million of BEAD money to begin developing a five-year plan. Another $100 million is guaranteed to each state over subsequent years.
“Then the rest of the money will be divided by need,” Raimondo said. “And, specifically, states that have more unserved and underserved people will receive more money through these investments.”
Federal funds must still navigate the state legislature before internet expansion efforts can begin. Cooper told The News & Observer he expects bipartisan support.
“I believe we can work together on a solution,” he said. “I will say we have had good cooperation with both Republican and Democratic leadership in putting forward the effort to make sure we’re getting getting fiber everywhere and getting everybody connected.”
President Joe Biden’s administration selected North Carolina to host the Internet For All announcement because of Cooper’s longstanding efforts to improve internet access and equity, Raimondo said, calling him a “leader on the issue of broadband.”
“(North Carolina) was one of the first states to have a broadband offense, the Secretary of IT and I think the first state to have the Digital Equity Office,” she said. “I hope the rest of the country follows your lead.”
Biden’s Affordable Connectivity Program
The Internet For All initiative is Biden’s latest program in a series of legislative moves targeting broadband accessibility.
Biden’s Affordable Connectivity Program, established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, qualifies tens of millions lower-income households to reduce their internet service costs by up to $30 a month.
On Monday, Biden and Vice President Harris announced commitments from 20 “leading internet providers” to help American households with limited internet to secure “high-quality internet plans” for no more than $30 a month, according to the White House. The internet providers — which include, AT&T, Comcast, Verizon and North Carolina’s Comporium — serve areas covering 80% of the country’s population.
ACP qualifying families with internet from one of the federal government’s 20 partners could see their service expenses nullified. They would receive internet at no cost.
“High-speed internet service is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity,” the White House said in a statement. “But too many families go without high-speed internet because of the cost or have to cut back on other essentials to make their monthly internet service payments. Lowering prices — including the cost of high-speed internet service — is President Biden’s top priority.”
This story was originally published May 13, 2022 at 12:01 PM with the headline "In Durham, Gov. Cooper and US Commerce secretary unveil $45B national internet expansion."
