Kentucky will receive a federal “Internet for All” grant of $5.8 million to support the expansion of high-speed, reliable internet throughout the Commonwealth.
Kentucky applied for and was awarded the funding through the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.
“High-speed internet is crucial for future job creation, education opportunities, health accessibility and economic endeavors,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said yesterday.
The planning grant was awarded to Kentucky through the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The more than $5 million Kentucky is to receive will fund:
- Identifying unserved and underserved communities;
- Increasing capacity of Kentucky’s broadband office;
- Identifying existing activities that support the project’s goal
- Collaboration with Kentucky’s state digital equity plan; and
- Local engagement with unserved, underserved and underrepresented communities to better understand barriers.
