The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has announced the launch of the Internet for All initiative, which is the name the administration has given to its implementation of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The Internet for All initiative will invest $45 billion through three programs with the goal of making available “affordable, reliable, high-speed internet for everyone in America by the end of the decade.” NTIA will oversee the three programs, each of which has started with a Notice of Funding Opportunity. They are:
- Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program ($42.5 billion), which will provide funds to broadband offices in each state and territory for disbursement through subgrants to broadband providers seeking to enable broadband in currently unserved areas;
- Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program ($1 billion), which will award grants directly to providers on a technology-neutral, competitive basis for the construction, improvement, or acquisition of middle-mile infrastructure; and
- State Digital Equity Act programs ($1.5 billion), which will invest in state programs to heighten adoption and use.
