President Joe Biden said on Monday 26 June in the white house, Washington that high-speed internet has become a necessity and we will not count it under luxury. He announced the $42 billion investment plan for achieving high-speed internet by 2030.
he took a pledge that no house will be left without high-speed internet access by 2023 and the benefit of the plan will be given to all Americans under this economic policy.
The amount will be distributed among the 50 states and territories in America so that they can fasten the slow-speed internet service and start the new service where there is no service.
As per the white house, The investment plan is one of the biggest plans for internet service and is similar to Franklin D Roosevelt’s rural area electricity Plan of the 1930s.
As per the federal communications commission, almost 8.5 million homes and small businesses that cover 7% of the country’s population are facing internet speed issues and are below the current government standard. The download speed should be at least 25 megabits per sec and that of upload is 3Mbps as per the government’s current speed standard.
Biden compared high-speed internet access with other household utilities such as water, electricity and gas and said it is very essential for the economy as like any other household item.
He also stated that high-speed internet has become our basic necessity but it is still expensive. He said that accessibility is not enough without affordability and added that the administration is working on it with service providers to minimize the internet cost. Vice President Kamala Harris is satisfied with Biden’s statement that it is not a luxury anymore.
How Funds are Distributed among States for high-speed Internet?
The execution of the plan is left otherwise Congress has allocated the funds through the Bipartisan Infrastructure law and it will be divided through the broadband equity, access and deployment program in the coming two years among states.
The high-speed internet funding amount under this program will depend upon the unserved areas of the territories of each state.
Texas and California are placed at the top of the funding list with $3.3 billion and $1.9 billion respectively.
The minimum amount that each state will receive under this program is $107 million.
There are states such as Virginia, Louisiana and Alabama that are less populous but are put under the top 10 in the funding list because they mostly have unserved areas and most of the rural areas in these states are below the government standards.
There are almost 19 states that will receive over $1 billion for achieving high-speed internet.
Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said that the investment will help in the economic growth of the country and increase its competitiveness. A good internet facility is required for connecting with people in the digital economy or doing a high paid job etc.
White House infrastructure coordinator, Mitch Landrieu said that today’s society needs high-speed internet. Under the policy, everyone in America will enjoy high-speed internet by 2023.
According to Joe Biden and his advisors, the public doesn’t know much about Biden’s previous wins. He has done remarkable work on the infrastructure, climate change and economy and voters should know about it before heading towards the reelection of 2024. So, speeches and events are prepared to promote Biden’s work in the next three weeks under the second phase of the America Tour.