For Immediate Release
November 21, 2022
Press Contact
NTIA, Office of Public Affairs, (202) 482-7002, [email protected]
WASHINGTON – The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that Georgia received its first “Internet for All” grants for deploying high-speed Internet networks and developing digital skills training programs under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Internet for All initiative. Georgia is receiving $6,429,207.61 in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by President Biden, to plan for the deployment and adoption of affordable, equitable, and reliable high-speed Internet throughout the state.
"These new funds will jump start Georgia's ability to provide affordable and reliable, high-speed Internet service across the state, and open up greater opportunities for work and education," said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. "I thank Governor Kemp for his commitment to closing the digital divide in Georgia."
All 50 U.S. states and six territories applied for planning grant funding for the Internet for All initiative's Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program and the Digital Equity Act program. Grant awards for all 56 eligible entities will be announced on a rolling basis.
About Georgia’s Planning Grants
Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program
The BEAD Program provides $42.45 billion to expand high-speed Internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs.
Georgia will receive $4,999,994.65 to fund various activities including:
- Identification of unserved and underserved locations;
- Efforts to support local coordination including outreach to diverse stakeholders across the state;
- Planning and capacity-building of the state's broadband office;
- Local engagement with unserved, underserved, and underrepresented communities to better understand barriers to adoption.
Digital Equity
The Digital Equity Act provides $2.75 billion to establish three grant programs to ensure that all people and communities have the skills, technology, and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy. The first part of NTIA’s execution of the Digital Equity Act is to fund digital equity planning efforts.
Georgia will receive $1,429,212.96 to fund various activities including:
- Creation of a Digital Equity plan;
- Engagement with the Georgia Digital Equity Taskforce;
- Creation of an asset inventory of digital equity programs across the state;
- Local engagement with unserved, underserved, and underrepresented communities to better understand barriers to adoption.
Internet for All
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes a historic $65 billion investment to expand affordable and reliable high-speed Internet access in communities across the U.S. NTIA recently launched a series of new high-speed Internet grant programs funded by the law that will build high-speed Internet infrastructure across the country, create more low-cost high-speed Internet service options, and address the digital equity and inclusion needs in our communities.
Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Visit AffordableConnectivity.gov to learn more.
For more information on the Biden-Harris Administration’s high-speed Internet programs, please visit InternetforAll.gov.