Biden Gives Vermont $66 Million To Boost High-Speed Internet for Residents
The Treasury Department has approved $90 million for broadband projects in Vermont, under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Capital Projects Fund. The funding will help connect 14,000 homes and businesses to high-speed internet, the Treasury Department said in a press release, giving “‘last mile’ rural communities throughout Vermont the ability to stay connected with the digital, global economy,” Sen. Patrick Leahy said in a tweet.
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“The pandemic exposed longstanding challenges that workers and families face when they don’t have adequate access to the internet, especially those living in rural areas and other unconnected communities,” Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo, is quoted as saying in the Oct. 26 release. “This funding through the American Rescue Plan will help provide affordable, high-speed internet service to communities across Vermont, including the most rural parts of the state. We commend Vermont for targeting this funding to places where it is most urgently needed.”
Vermont estimates that this will help connect 22% of locations still needing high-speed internet access.
“These past few years have only exacerbated the growing digital divide between urban and rural America,” Senator Leahy said in the release. “That is one of the many reasons why Congress acted with the passage and enactment of the American Rescue Plan Act. From Beecher Falls to Bennington, this American Rescue Plan funding will increase equitable access to high-speed, quality internet service in Vermont at an affordable cost. These funds will give the “last mile” rural communities throughout Vermont the ability to stay connected with the digital, global economy.”
The Treasury requires funding recipients to participate in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) new Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides a discount of up to $30 per month (or up to $75 per eligible household on Tribal lands), according to the release.
Experts estimate that nearly 40% of U.S. households are eligible for the program.
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Households eligible to qualify for the ACP benefit include those whose income is below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or $55,500 for a family of four, according to the FCC. Households eligible for the program can also receive up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Biden Gives Vermont $66 Million To Boost High-Speed Internet for Residents
