Joe PittsArizona Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly announced a nearly $1 billion federal investment in high-speed internet infrastructure as a result of the bipartisan infrastructure law that the two lawmakers supported and shaped last year.
The money will be distributed to Arizona through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, which focuses on serving disadvantaged and rural communities that have historically lacked access to high-speed internet.
鈥淔rom students doing homework online to seniors using telehealth services to receive medical treatment without leaving their homes, it鈥檚 essential that all Arizonans鈥攏o matter where they live鈥攈ave access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet,鈥� Kelly, a Democrat, said.
Both Sinema and Kelly said that this investment would not have been possible without the 2022 . Sinema, an Independent, co-authored the bill and led negotiations as chief negotiator, while Kelly played a role in shaping the act to include Arizona priorities.
The bill deployed $65 billion in taxpayer dollars across the nation to expand access to high-speed internet for underserved and rural communities, as well as to help make internet service more affordable for low-income families.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs the investment would help close the digital divide.
鈥淔or too long, millions of Arizonans have lacked this access, preventing them from attaining good paying jobs, quality education, and even basic healthcare services. With this funding, my Administration will work with local, Tribal, and industry partners to connect every Arizonan, in every community, across the state and build an Arizona that works for everyone.鈥�
The money will be managed over the next five years by the Arizona State Broadband Office within the Arizona Commerce Authority.
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