WASHINGTON – A project funded by a $24 million high-speed Internet grant from the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) broke ground in Reno, Nevada today.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Internet for All Initiative, the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program is investing more than $980 million in building regional “middle mile” networks that connect to national Internet networks. Middle mile Internet infrastructure carries large amounts of data over long distances, increases capacity to local networks, boosts network resiliency, lowers the cost of bringing high-speed Internet service to unconnected households, and helps connect unserved regions to the Internet backbone.
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Alan Davidson attended today’s ceremony alongside representatives from the Nevada Governor’s Office of Science, Innovation and Technology and executives from Internet service provider Zayo Group, which received the grant. Zayo is the first Middle Mile Program grantee in the nation to begin construction.
“Internet access is no longer a luxury – it is a necessity,” Assistant Secretary Davidson said. “Today’s groundbreaking means the people of Nevada are one step closer to more affordable, more reliable high-speed Internet service. This Middle Mile project will increase speeds for existing customers and lower the cost of deployment to unconnected homes. Congratulations to the State of Nevada and the team at Zayo on this important milestone.”
With this grant, Zayo will build a 645-mile fiber network through the Panther Valley and Reno communities in Nevada as well as rural parts of Oregon and northern California that currently have inadequate broadband service. Zayo will build 23 access points in this network to enable ready access to local Internet Service Providers, which will vastly improve the speed and quality of Internet service to homes in the area.
Through the Biden-Harris Administration’s Internet for All initiative, Nevada will receive more than $539 million to build and expand high-speed Internet infrastructure, improve affordability, and ensure every resident has the skills and devices to thrive online.
For more information, please contact [email protected].
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About the National Telecommunications and Information Administration
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is the Executive Branch agency that advises the President on telecommunications and information policy issues. NTIA’s programs and policymaking focus largely on expanding broadband Internet access and adoption in America, expanding the use of spectrum by all users, advancing public safety communications, and ensuring that the Internet remains an engine for innovation and economic growth.