On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced it had approved more than $228 million in American Rescue Plan funding to be spent on high-speed projects across New York state.
The funding, part of the bill’s Capital Projects Fund (CPF), will connect tens of thousands of homes and businesses to affordable, high-speed internet, the department said. Funding broadband infrastructure is a key priority for the CPF program, officials said, and will help get high-speed internet access to underserved communities, including rural, Tribal and other communities.
“The pandemic upended life as we knew it and exposed the stark inequity in access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet in communities across the country,” Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said. “This funding is a key piece of the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic investments to increase access to high-speed internet for millions of Americans and provide more opportunities to fully participate and compete in the 21st century economy.”
The Treasury’s award will fund New York’s Municipal Infrastructure Program (MIP), a competitive grant program designed to fund local governments and internet service providers with money to build last mile broadband infrastructure. The MIP will prioritize getting grants to applicants who qualify based on cost, project readiness, broadband service quality, digital equity impact and experience, the department said. Monday’s announcement was in addition to the $100 million in CPF funding the Treasury Department awarded the state last year.
CPF will provide $10 billion to states, territories, and Tribal government to fund critical capital project, the department said. Those project are expected to expand economic opportunities and provide internet connectivity to communities with unmet needs.
“New York’s ConnectALL initiative is delivering high-speed internet to thousands of families statewide, and this transformative federal investment will help us keep even more New Yorkers connected,” N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “Access to affordable, reliable broadband keeps New Yorkers working, empowers our students, and connects families to critical benefits and services, and I thank the Biden administration, Majority Leader Schumer, and the New York delegation for their partnership in our mission to give all New Yorkers the tools they need to thrive.