Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced that $416,666,229.74 in federal funding is coming to Nevada to expand broadband access in communities across the state through the Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. Senator Cortez Masto helped to secure these funds through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and she worked to ensure Nevada would receive more funding by pushing the administration to update their National Broadband Map to accurately reflect the state’s broadband needs.
“Broadband access is essential for Nevada’s economy and our communities,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This funding will help us close the digital divide in the Silver State and create new opportunities for business owners, students, and families. I pushed to ensure Nevada got more of the broadband funding it deserved, and will continue fighting to ensure Nevadans have access to high-speed internet in every corner of the state.”
The BEAD program is a $42.4 billion initiative designed to help close the digital divide by expanding access to high-speed internet in underserved and unserved areas. This grant funding will be used to support planning, infrastructure development, and adoption programs to expand high-speed internet access to underserved and unserved areas of Nevada.
Through her Innovation State Initiative, Senator Cortez Masto has led in the Senate to improve broadband access and strengthen Nevada’s economy. In the last year alone for example, she has delivered more than $60 million in broadband funding for Nevada’s Tribal communities as well as residents in and around Lovelock and in Spring Creek, Elko County. In 2020, she passed her bipartisan ACCESS BROADBAND Act to ensure Nevadans in underserved urban and rural communities have easier access to federal broadband programs. In response to pressure from Senators Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently updated their National Broadband Map, which will ensure Nevada receives the federal funding it deserves and needs.
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