February 21, 2022 Group Watch: Alabama House Passes Bill to Expand High-Speed Internet Access
The Alabama House passed a bill by Rep. Randall Shedd that will help deliver high-speed internet to places where it’s not available by allowing local grants to be used to expand high-speed internet. It proposes an amendment to the state constitution, which prohibits counties and cities from providing grants or other things of value to private companies. The Senate has passed a similar measure. The bill is part of the efforts by the legislature and the governor’s office to expand access to broadband, which is still not available to about 20 percent of the state’s households, according to the Alabama Connectivity Plan. Other measures include a state grant program to make it feasible for companies to install the cable and other equipment needed to deliver broadband to places that would otherwise remain unserved. The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the value of high-speed internet as people needed it to work and attend school remotely. Alabama and other states are receiving federal money for broadband expansion through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). In January the legislature approved a plan to spend $277 million of ARPA funds for broadband expansion.
