The Utah Broadband Center was recently awarded $10 million in federal funding through the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPF) as part of the American Rescue Plan. The Utah Broadband Center is an initiative of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (Go Utah).
The CPF allocates $10 billion to states, territories and tribal governments to fund critical capital projects that enable work, education and health monitoring in response to the public health emergency. Utah is among five other states awarded CPF funds.
“Utah will receive $10 million for broadband infrastructure, which we estimate will connect 3,080 households and businesses. This represents approximately 5 percent of locations in Utah still lacking high-speed Internet access,” said Jim Grover, Go Utah’s managing director of incentives and grants. “The award will fund the Broadband Access Grant, a competitive grant program designed to address gaps in broadband infrastructure. Our goal is to increase reliable high-speed Internet service where it is currently unavailable. Funding from CPF will help Utah continue its efforts to bridge the remaining digital divide.”
The Utah Broadband Center has already awarded five rural recipients. Due to rurality, economic need or high cost, these areas would not otherwise have broadband infrastructure without the grant incentive. These areas include Box Elder County, Croydon, Millard County, West Mountain and Montezuma Creek in the Navajo Nation in San Juan County.
The CPF will address challenges caused by the pandemic, especially in rural America, tribal communities and low and moderate-income communities. It will help ensure all communities can access the high-quality modern infrastructure, including broadband, needed to access critical services.