Delaware wants to be the first state to connect every home and business in the state to broadband. To accomplish this, the state is giving a total of $56 million in broadband infrastructure grants to three companies that currently provide broadband to residents.
Comcast gets the most at $33.1 million, Verizon receives $11.8 million and Mediacom gets $11.1 million, state officials recently announced.
Over the next 36 months, Comcast, Verizon and Mediacom will build out and extend current infrastructure to deliver fixed, wireline internet access with transmission speeds that, at a minimum, provide 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload. Residents can find out if their area has internet access and report addresses that do not using Delaware’s Broadband Hub.
The state Department of Technology and Information plans to update the interactive map with expansion project updates and real-time data. Addresses reported as lacking service during the construction phase will be included within the current project.
The Broadband Infrastructure Grants are part of the $110 million commitment to broadband infrastructure Governor John Carney announced in August 2021. Funding for this initiative comes from the American Rescue Plan Act and the Infrastructure Law.
The grants cover up to 75 percent of the capital construction costs, with the internet service providers contributing a minimum 25 percent match.
The companies vow to make the money go far. Verizon VP Public Policy Tony Lewis says the grant will help Verizon deploy “our flagship Fios Home Internet service — with speeds up to 940 Mbps and no data caps — to roughly 3,000 additional unserved locations.” Comcast Beltway Region SVP Michael Parker says the partnership will bolster “the hundreds of millions of dollars Comcast has already invested in the state to connect thousands of currently unserved homes.”
Mediacom Director of Government Partnerships Chris Lord credited the staff at the Delaware Department of Technology and Information with creating “an amazingly efficient application process that effectively utilizes public resources to encourage private investment while leveraging existing fiber infrastructure.”
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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