Policy

Biden administration approves final state broadband plan

‘In the 21st century, a reliable Internet connection is a necessity.’
Travis Sheetz, a worker with the Mason County (Wash.) Public Utility District, installs fiber optic cable on a utility pole, Aug. 4, 2021, near Belfair, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, file)

The Biden administration’s push to ensure all Americans have access to high-speed internet hit a key milestone Tuesday, with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration approving Texas’s initial plan for how it intends to close the so-called digital divide.

Texas was the last of the 50 states, five territories and Washington, D.C., to have its initial proposal be approved for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, the first step to unlocking the program’s total $42.5 billion in funding. Texas’s allocation is $3.3 billion, the most of any state.

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