Through the years, Nebraskans have constructed hundreds of miles of trails, rails, energy strains, and highways to attach our state. This connectivity has helped our city and rural communities thrive.
But as extra of our lives have gone on-line, we’ve seen a digital divide develop. It’s simpler and cheaper to ship high-speed web to homes shut collectively in cities than it’s to achieve ranch properties spaced miles aside. For that reason, broadband infrastructure in rural Nebraska has lagged behind our city facilities.
As governor, my imaginative and prescient is to develop Nebraska. Meaning rising each a part of Nebraska—from cities to suburbs to our rural areas. Geography shouldn’t decide alternative in our state. Regardless of the gap Nebraskans reside from a metropolis, they need to have entry to the digital instruments they should reside, be taught, and do enterprise. In at present’s digital world, broadband connectivity is fundamental infrastructure.
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I’ve been working with my companies and the Legislature to increase dependable, high-speed broadband networks to attach each nook of Nebraska. In 2018, I signed LB 994 into regulation, creating the Rural Broadband Process Drive. Chaired by Ed Toner, the State’s Chief Info Officer, the duty power was charged with serving to us higher perceive Nebraska’s broadband wants. Their work assessed gaps in protection and proposed methods to increase broadband.
Whereas our work to attach Nebraska started properly earlier than the coronavirus pandemic hit, the pandemic underscored simply how essential it’s to have entry to the digital world. Areas with accessible, high-speed web had been capable of proceed day-to-day operations of enterprise, whereas areas with out it struggled. In 2020, I directed $30 million of Nebraska’s federal coronavirus CARES Act funding to go towards the Distant Entry to Rural Broadband Grant. This alone linked 17,500 households to broadband connectivity.
Then, in 2021, I signed the Rural Broadband Bridge Act (LB 388) into regulation. This invested one other $40 million to attach an extra 30,000 households. As we proceed to distribute funding by means of grants to telecommunications corporations, we’re prioritizing tasks in underserved communities, from Nemaha County in southeast Nebraska to Dawes County within the northwest of the state. Final yr, 61 grants had been administered. Awards for the 2022 grant cycle might be introduced this December.
We’ve set excessive requirements as we work with telecommunications corporations to develop broadband infrastructure in Nebraska. Whereas 25 mbps obtain pace and three mbps add pace (or 25/3) meets the Federal Communications Fee’s benchmark for pace, we acknowledge that the move of information is just rising as expertise improves. It’s not sufficient to offer the naked minimal. As a substitute, we’re constructing with the long run in thoughts. Any firm receiving state funds is required to construct speeds of 100/100, in order that our broadband networks can sustain with expertise because it evolves.
On the identical time, we’re reducing limitations to get corporations invested in our effort. Initially, the Broadband Bridge Act required candidates to offer 50% of the entire improvement prices. This yr, I signed laws (LB 1144) to cut back corporations’ required funding in high-cost areas to 25%. This variation makes it less expensive for telecommunications corporations to construct out broadband in our rural areas.
Moreover, there are a number of new funding streams coming from the Federal authorities. The State not too long ago obtained approval from the U.S. Treasury for our plan to make use of $87.7 million from the Capital Initiatives Fund for broadband infrastructure. We’re additionally receiving funds from three packages below the Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act:
BEAD: The Broadband Fairness, Entry, & Deployment Program. We now have requested $5 million to plan and can obtain no less than $100 million to implement broadband tasks in unserved and underserved areas.
Digital Fairness Grants: We are going to obtain no less than $7 million to make sure Nebraskans throughout the state have the assets they should be digitally literate and have entry to digital gadgets.
Center Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grants: by means of the state, web service suppliers and public energy districts can apply for these funds to assemble, enhance, or purchase broadband infrastructure that doesn’t instantly connect with an end-user location similar to a family or college (towers, fiber, and many others.).
There are loads of transferring items as we handle these packages. Nevertheless, we’re forward of the sport in Nebraska. In contrast to many different states, we’ve already handed the legislative framework and constructed the operational processes to handle grant purposes and distribute awards. The precedence we now have positioned on enhancing our broadband infrastructure has put Nebraska in a powerful place to effectively, successfully make use of latest federal funding sources for broadband enlargement.
To greatest use federal broadband {dollars} to serve Nebraskans, we’ve created a “Join Nebraska” working group. Its sole goal is to optimize federal assets to increase broadband. The group contains members from the State Price range Workplace, Public Service Fee, and Workplace of the Chief Info Officer.
The Join Nebraska working group helped us launch broadband.nebraska.gov, which is able to function the first hub of knowledge for broadband packages accessible within the state. It’ll even be the primary portal for grant purposes. I encourage you to go to the web site to be taught extra concerning the varied funding sources and how one can apply.
As governor, I’m dedicated to bridging the broadband hole to attach much more Nebraskans to high-speed web. If in case you have any questions on our work to increase broadband, please contact me at pete.ricketts@nebraska.gov or 402-471-2244.
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