But federal data and state reports show there are still pockets in the state where households are either unserved or underserved, meaning the internet plans that are available are not considered adequate.Īccording to a press release from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, an estimated 11,693 homes and small businesses in Connecticut lack access to a high-speed internet connection.Ĭonnecticut’s 2022 Broadband Report found that most of those homes and businesses are concentrated in roughly nine towns in the Northwest Corner and in rural areas in the eastern half of the state. It’s become an absolute necessity,” Biden said at a White House press conference.įederal officials decided how much each state would receive from the new funding stream, which is formally known as the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, based on an analysis of how many residents currently lack access to the internet and what it will cost to increase the number of physical connections.Ĭonnecticut is relatively well-off compared to other parts of the country when it comes to the number of residents with high-speed internet access. “High-speed internet isn’t a luxury anymore. This isn’t the first time the federal government has made significant investments in expanding internet service throughout the country, but federal and state officials argued this week that access to the internet has become even more vital following the coronavirus pandemic, which made a high-speed connection necessary for work, school and health care. President Joe Biden held a press briefing on Monday to announce the rollout of the new connectivity program, and he promised that the massive spending program would ensure every person in America has the ability to subscribe to reliable high-speed internet service by 2030. The federal grant is part of a larger $42.45 billion nationwide program that was funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Congress passed in November 2021. Connecticut is set to receive more than $144 million in federal funding to help expand the state’s broadband networks and to ensure, for the first time, that every home and business in the state has access to a reliable, high-speed internet connection.

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