Rhode Island State Broadband Office

With the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Job Act, Rhode Island will receive at least $100 million for improving broadband services and connecting the 12 percent of Rhode Island households currently without internet.

Governor Dan McKee announced $1.7 million in late November 2021 to connect a number of projects in local communities.

RI Commerce leads ConnectRI in partnership with the Department of Business Regulation. ConnectRI is immediately engaged (Fall 2021) in statewide broadband mapping activities, in partnership with the Newport County Development Council.

State Rep. Deborah Ruggiero has called the state’s broadband issues to the public’s attention, writing in an op-ed, that the municipalities of Rhode Island desperately need access to broadband.

Already, some municipalities like Newport and Middletown are working to provide high-speed internet to low and moderate-income communities and apartment complexes.

Still, Rhode Island is one of the best states for broadband availability, ranking as the fourth best within the United States.