President Biden Touts His Broadband Record

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Digital Beat

President Biden Touts His Broadband Record

In an open letter, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. shared a summary of the progress the Biden-Harris administration made over the last four years. The focus of the letter is on economic recovery and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. A key tenet is President Biden's Investing in America agenda, which aimed to mobilize historic levels of  investments in the United States and revitalize U.S. infrastructure, including broadband internet access. Here is a look at President Biden's broadband accomplishments as he prepares to leave office. In addition to the White House letter, the leaders of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also recently reviewed their recent accomplishments.

American Rescue Plan Act

President Biden believes the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) changed the country’s economic trajectory through targeted relief to meet the urgent needs of American communities, leading to the strongest jobs recovery on record and a world-leading economic performance. 

ARPA provided direct fiscal relief to every state and territory and 30,000 cities and towns, enabling critical investments in housing, workforce, public safety, and water and high-speed internet infrastructure. 

ARPA established the Capital Projects Fund (CPF) which is providing $10 billion to states, territories, freely associated states, and Tribal governments to fund critical capital projects that enable work, education, and health monitoring in response to the public health emergency.  These funds are addressing many challenges laid bare by the pandemic, especially in rural America, Tribal communities, and low- and moderate-income communities, helping to ensure that all communities have access to the high-quality modern infrastructure, including broadband, needed to access critical services. The Treasury Department began announcing awards in June 2022. To date, CPF has awarded approximately $10 billion for broadband, digital technology, and multi-purpose community facility projects in all states, the District of Columbia, as well as in territories, freely associated states, and for Tribal governments. Recipients estimate that broadband projects will reach over two million locations and that hundreds of thousands of individuals will be served annually by multi-purpose community facilities like libraries.   

ARPA created the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) and provided $7.171 billion to reimburse schools and libraries for providing free broadband service (and connected devices) to students and patrons at their homes. The FCC committed over $7.09 billion in program funding to provide approximately 18 million students with broadband connections and equipment. ECF funded nearly 13 million connected devices and more than 8 million broadband connections.

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a once-in-a-generation investment in America’s infrastructure and competitiveness. The law includes $65 billion to help ensure that every American has access to reliable high-speed internet through a historic investment in broadband infrastructure deployment.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act established the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Congress allocated $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment, and adoption programs. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands have approved plans for connecting all serviceable locations in their areas. Close to 90 percent of the funding spent on BEAD program equipment will be spent on equipment manufactured in the United States.

In addition to the BEAD and CPF programs, during the Biden administration the Department of Agriculture invested more than $4 billion in projects to expand access to high-speed broadband and bring new economic opportunities and a better quality of life for more than 680,000 people across 46 states through its ReConnect Program.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act builds on the Federal Communications Commission's Emergency Broadband Benefit Program—created by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021—and put the initiative on more permanent footing, renamed as the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The ACP enabled over 23 million low-income households to access free or discounted high-speed internet service until the program ran out of funding June 1, 2024.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act required internet service providers to provide customers clear, easy-to-understand, and accurate information about the cost and performance of high-speed internet services. Modeled after food nutrition labels, these broadband labels are intended to help consumers comparison shop for the internet service plan that will best meet their needs and budget.

In November 2023, the FCC adopted rules to prevent and eliminate digital discrimination as required in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The rules aim to ensure that all Americans have equal access to reliable, high-speed broadband services without discrimination based on income level, race, ethnicity, color, religion, or national origin. 

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act also included the largest investment in broadband adoption ever. The law allocated $2.75 billion to the states for digital inclusion planning and the implementation of those plans. Every state now has a digital equity plan and most have been approved to begin work on their plans. And NTIA has recommended for award more than $250 million to 24 organizations to support digital skills and inclusion projects in communities across the country. These investments will empower individuals and communities across the nation with the essential skills they need to thrive in today’s connected world.  

NTIA's Track Record

Alan Davidson, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce and NTIA Administrator, also recently shared his accomplishments during his three years leading the agency. NTIA has:

  • Connected more than 40,000 homes with new high-speed Internet access through the Broadband Infrastructure Program.
  • Funded $1 billion worth of Middle Mile networks, including building over 3,200 miles of fiber and counting.
  • Provided 4,500 homes with either new or subsidized Internet connections on Tribal lands.

In all, over 3 million previously unserved homes and business have been connected to the Internet since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration.

BEAD Progress

In addition to obligating all BEAD funding, NTIA has achieved the following milestones:

  • Each state and territory has received approval of its BEAD Initial Proposal and, subject to the terms and conditions of each award, can access a portion of its BEAD allocation to start implementing its proposal to connect every unserved and underserved location within its borders to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service. 
  • Thirty-nine states and territories have concluded their challenge process to determine which locations within their borders are eligible for service through BEAD-funded projects. 
  • Twenty-two states and territories have begun their subgrantee selection process, selecting the providers that will build the networks to connect the unconnected. 
  • Louisiana and Delaware have received approvals for their final BEAD plans.

Progress Towards Digital Equity

In addition to funding the creation of statewide digital equity plans, NTIA has:

  • Approved and recommended for award more than $750 million in grants to every state and territory to implement their plans. 
  • Recommended for approval more than $250 million in grant applications to 24 entities covering 39 states and territories. 

Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program 

Through the $3 billion Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, NTIA is making the largest investment ever for broadband deployment on Tribal lands, as well as for telehealth, distance learning, broadband affordability, and digital inclusion. 

  • The first round of funding resulted in awards totaling $1.86 billion to 226 Tribal entities, and those projects have already connected or lowered Internet costs for more than 4,500 Tribal homes
  • The second round of funding made up to $980 million available, and NTIA has announced more than $348 million in awards in this round for broadband infrastructure, adoption, and use initiatives. 

Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program 

NTIA's Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program is a $268 million grant program to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) for the purchase of broadband internet access service and eligible equipment or to hire and train information technology personnel.

  • NTIA has awarded more than $262 million to 93 universities including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). These awards are being used to address the disparities these universities experience in their capabilities and resources for Internet access and adoption.   
  • Grantees from the Pilot Program have distributed more than 24,000 devices to students at MSIs and members of their surrounding communities to date. Grantees are graduating fiber technician apprentices, training students in emerging skills like 3D printing, and enabling career changes. 

FCC's Efforts on Expanding Connectivity and Access

Finally, the FCC dedicated its last meeting under the leadership of Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to recapping its efforts to facilitate access to fast, reliable and affordable internet. Highlighted efforts include:

  • The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP): With over 23 million households enrolled across all 50 states, territories, and federally recognized Tribal lands, the success, reach, and impact of the program was unmatched. The ACP was the nation’s largest broadband affordability effort to date.
  • Launching Broadband Labels: The FCC established labels for broadband providers to display specific information regarding their internet service plans, enabling consumers to make informed decisions when shopping for broadband service.
  • Modernizing E-Rate and Disability Access: The FCC modernized the E-rate program by expanding eligibility for Wi-Fi hotspots, Wi-Fi on school buses, and to address digital disparities on Tribal lands. It also adopted rules to improve the access and functionality of communications services for people with disabilities such as updating access to video conferencing services and requiring 100% of U.S. mobile wireless handset models to be hearing aid compatible.
  • Improving Broadband Data Collection: A cross-agency team worked to develop the most accurate national broadband maps in our nation’s history, enabling the FCC to clearly understand the gaps in the country’s infrastructure and facilitate effective and targeted investments to expand this critical resource. For the first time, the agency was able to produce broadband availability maps that showed data down to the individual serviceable location versus previous maps that stated broadband was available if a single home in a census block could have service.
  • Maternal Heath Mapping: The FCC implemented the Data Mapping to Save Moms’ Lives Act, which generates maps that provide insight on the intersection of broadband access and maternal health. The Mapping Broadband Health in America platform created, a one-of-a-kind visualization tool for promoting data-driven decision making at the intersection of broadband and health.

Also see:

See the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society's ongoing coverage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.


Kevin Taglang is the Executive Editor at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all people in the U.S. have access to competitive, High-Performance Broadband regardless of where they live or who they are. We believe communication policy - rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity - has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities.


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Kevin Taglang

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