$162 Million in Capital Projects Funds Awarded to Mississippi
In an effort to expand broadband internet access throughout the state, Mississippi has been awarded a $162 million allotment of Capital Projects Funds, part of the American Rescue Plan Act. Presently, only about 17% of Mississippi residents are able to access high-speed internet in their homes, and only 25% of residents have any sort of Internet subscription at all. In fact, according to US News and World Report, Mississippi ranks 48th in the nation in Internet access, followed only by Alaska and West Virginia.
Mississippi is well on its way to improving broadband access throughout the state. In 2020 the state legislature directed the Public Utilities Staff to administer $75 million in CARES Act funding for broadband grants. In 2022, the legislature created the Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi (BEAM) office and, in the same year, allocated $32 million in grants toward ten projects across the state.
Rural Connectivity Is A Primary Focus
In Mississippi, the majority of the state – 79% of its counties – are considered to be rural areas, and it’s not uncommon for residents of these areas to have to leave their homes and head into town or toward more populated spaces in order to get Internet access. But that’s all about to change as allocated funds for broadband expansion begin flowing into the state.
So far, over $45 million has been allocated to specific grant projects in the state, including projects spearheaded by Mississippi’s UpLink Internet, LLC, which will provide connectivity to 2,340 people, 143 farms, and 45 businesses. TEC of Jackson is receiving $22.2 million for broadband infrastructure expansion programs in Lawrence, Newton, Copiah, Simpson, and Scott Counties, while Bay Spring Telephone Company will connect 1,123 people, nine businesses, and 57 farms across Jasper and Smith counties. These grants are part of the United State Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) ReConnect Rural Development Program, which aims to expand or deploy broadband connectivity in rural areas across the country.
Broadband Availability Maps
While the state has been working on getting broadband access to every resident for some time, they’ve faced an uphill battle due to incorrect mapping. For example, according to DeSoto County Supervisor Lee Caldwell, DeSoto County – and the entire state of Mississippi – has been marked as having 100% accessibility on Federal broadband availability maps which is incorrect.
The county has been surveyed multiple times, and documentation has been provided to legislatures in Washington, D.C., to prove that the county is under and unserved. In fact, surveys have indicated that over 3,500 homes and over 11,000 individuals are without adequate internet access.
To streamline the process of identifying under and unserved areas, BEAM has rolled out its own mapping system where residents can take a speed test to see how their internet connection measures up. If the speed test determines that they are under-served (with speeds less than 100 Mbps), their location will be noted.
What Is The Federal Capital Projects Funds Grant?
Amidst the public health crisis caused by Covid-19, it was evident that many citizens and businesses in the United States, particularly school-aged children, suffered from a lack of internet connectivity. As schooling and most healthcare initiatives moved to a completely virtual model, many Mississippi residents – especially those in rural areas – could not access the resources needed. Students struggled to keep up with their school work and fell behind, and routine preventive healthcare services, such as annual physicals, were put to the wayside. Similarly, individuals who suddenly found themselves without a job could not search for a new one due to their lack of internet access for both the job hunt itself and the remote connectivity many positions required during the various stages of lockdown.
To address this concern, the American Rescue Plan Act allocated billions of dollars to states, earmarked explicitly to enhance their broadband infrastructure.
Currently, states are being granted funds based on the proposals submitted by their legislative bodies, working in tandem with utility companies, internet service providers, and non-profit organizations.
Infinity Technology Solutions for Broadband Infrastructure Projects
In partnership with Nokia, Infinity Technology Solutions is the partner state governments, and private internet service providers need to maximize the funding allocated to their communications infrastructure. We have extensive experience assisting public and private entities in building fiber networks to make broadband internet access a reality for all U.S. citizens.
Contact us to learn how we can help you launch your broadband infrastructure project successfully.
