One of the biggest barriers to closing the digital divide has long been cost – it simply costs so much to put in the infrastructure that the return on investment takes too long or is simply non-existent, network operators have said. Now, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic when broadband has played a crucial role in enabling online work, school and personal connection, there are billions of dollars being dedicated to various aspects of broadband deployment, through various legislative efforts. At the federal level, these include:
-The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund reverse auction for Universal Service Fund support in the coming decade wrapped up last December; the FCC is still reviewing the long-form applications of the presumptive winners. RDOF awards $9.23 billion in support of high-speed rural broadband deployment, with service tiers ranging from a minimum of 25/3 Mbps and up to gigabit speeds. The FCC said that the funds will be used in 49 states and one territory to connect nearly 5.3 million locations in 61,766 eligible census block groups…
