BEAD :$107.7 M
Treasury Capital Projects Fund: $112.8 M
Parent Department:
Department of Technology and Information
In September 2021, Governor John Carney, alongside other state officials, announced “a $110 million investment to cover every last mile of Delaware with high-speed, wired broadband internet service.”
The money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act funding. Currently, about 11,600 Delaware homes and businesses lack access to high-speed, wired broadband service.
The broadband infrastructure project will target investments to areas currently unserved or underserved, lacking a wireline connection, and will prioritize projects that achieve “last mile” connections to households and businesses. There's more on the grant plans here. Announcements about the ARPA awards are expected in early 2022.
Published May 2021, The Broadband Strategic Plan is a comprehensive framework that utilises the research conducted by the CTC Technology & Energy and Delaware Department of Technology & Information to create a statewide strategy to close the digital divide.
Delaware's broadband plan recommends that the state adopt a symmetrical 100 Mbps standard as in its future planning. It also said that the state should prioritize fiber infrastructure where it can.
The Delaware Broadband Fund supports broadband services in public schools, libraries, and rural broadband initiatives.
The Connect Delaware program provides free fixed and hotspot connections to qualifying low-income students throughout the school year.