Press Release
Posted:
St. Helena – Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) released the following statement after it was announced that California is receiving nearly $1.9 billion for high-speed internet. The funding comes from the Department of Commerce’s $42.45 billion BEAD (Broadband Equity Access and Deployment) Program, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which represents the largest single investment in high-speed internet in history.
“We live in an increasingly modern era, and the availability and affordability of reliable, high-speed internet is important for education, healthcare, public safety and business,” said Thompson. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that I voted for, California is set to receive nearly $1.9 billion for high-speed internet. This is a transformative investment that will change the way we work and connect with the world.”
High-speed internet is necessary for Americans to do their jobs, to participate equally in school learning, health care, and to stay connected. Yet, more than 8.3 million households and small businesses are in places where there is no high-speed internet infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable speeds. And many more American families go without high-speed internet because of the cost.
In addition to helping connect everyone in America to high-speed internet, this new funding will support good paying jobs deploying fiber and by using materials Made in America. In total, third-party analysis estimate the overall investment will create upwards of 150,000 good-paying jobs laying fiber optic cable and building out networks.