A federal grant will be used to bring high-speed internet service to rural parts of Missouri.
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) says Missouri will receive $1,736,302,708.39 to deploy affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service. NTIA says, currently, 337,484 homes and small businesses in Missouri lack access to a high-speed Internet connection.
The funding is part the “Internet for All” initiative, which is a key component of President Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda. In all, 50 states, the District of Columbia and five territories will receive a total of $42.45 billion through the Broadband Equity, Access, Deployment (BEAD) program. The BEAD funding will be used to deploy or upgrade broadband networks to ensure that everyone has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet service, according to NTIA.
Once deployment goals are met, any remaining funding can be used on broadband adoption, training and workforce development efforts among other things.
