Funding From The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Supports Colorado’s Goal to Connect More Than 99 Percent of Coloradans with Affordable, High-Speed Internet Over the Next Five Years, Based on Bennet’s Bipartisan BRIDGE Act.
On Monday, Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper and Colorado Governor Jared Polis welcomed a major announcement from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Colorado has been awarded $826,522,650 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.
The BEAD program is the largest broadband investment in American history. It provides funding to build essential infrastructure and connect communities to high-speed internet. The program is based on Bennet’s bipartisan BRIDGE Act, which was incorporated into the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The funding is expected to level the divide between broadband access in the country’s metro areas, versus the limited access in much of the country’s rural areas.
“It is unacceptable that millions of Americans – disproportionately from rural areas, low-income neighborhoods, and communities of color – still lack access to the internet,” said Bennet. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included historic broadband funding to close the digital divide and help every family participate in the 21st-century economy. There is no state more prepared than Colorado to seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity and bring every family, small business, and community online.”
“Thanks to our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re connecting every household to affordable, high-speed internet so Coloradans can access telehealth services, virtual classes, run their small businesses, and so much more,” said Hickenlooper.
“This exciting federal support builds upon our work to make sure Coloradans can access high-speed, reliable internet,” said Polis. “Here in Colorado, we continue to make bold progress towards our goal of connecting 99 percent of Colorado households to affordable, high-speed broadband by 2027 and we welcome the needed federal support to help connect more Coloradans.”
The BEAD program provides $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment, and adoption programs in all 50 states and territories. The program prioritizes unserved and underserved locations that have no or very slow internet access. That includes Chaffee County, where this funding was a topic of conversation in last week’s Chaffee Board of County Commissioners’ meeting.
As of early 2023, in Colorado, 10 percent of locations are unserved or underserved, and 190,850 households lack access to the Internet. For the most up-to-date information, please visit the Colorado Broadband Mapping Hub.
The BEAD program is based on the bipartisan BRIDGE Act that Bennet introduced in June 2021 to provide $40 billion in flexible broadband funding to states, Tribal governments, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia to ensure all Americans have access to affordable high-speed internet.
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