• The Biden administration yesterday announced a $40 billion federal investment designed to assure that "every household in the nation" would have high-speed internet access "by 2030 using cables made in the US," the Associated Press writes.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says that more than seven percent of the country is "underserved" in terms of high-speed internet.
The story says that the $40 billion will be "distributed across the country to deliver high-speed internet in places where there’s either no service or service is too slow.," the rationale being that in the 21st century, access to high-speed internet is not a luxury but an "absolute necessity."
According to the story, "The internet access funding amounts depended primarily on the number of unserved locations in each jurisdiction or those locations that lack access to internet download speeds of at least 25 megabits per second download and upload speeds of 3 Mbps. Download speeds involve retrieving information from the internet, including streaming movies and TV. Upload speeds determine how fast information travels from a computer to the internet, like sending e-mails or publishing photos online.
"The funding includes more than $1 billion each for 19 states, with remaining states falling below that threshold. Allotments range from $100.7 million for Washington, D.C., to $3.3 billion for Texas."
