CARES Money for Broadband: Insights Gained from County Projects
The proposition of pursuing funding for broadband can seem unwise when a short timeline is involved. Here are lessons learned from counties that had to spend CARES dollars in the face of a fast construction deadline.
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In 2020, states directed millions of Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds toward broadband infrastructure. While any money for high-speed Internet is a good thing, these dollars initially came with an aggressive December 2020 deadline, meaning that some local stakeholders were better positioned than others to take on the timeline burden.
Jessica Fowler is the chief client officer for Lit Communities, a company that helps local areas plan for and deploy fiber networks. She said the CARES legislation was well intentioned, but she felt it wasn’t written with a firm understanding of what it takes to complete a connectivity project. In order to use the money for broadband, one had to show a connection to a premise or demand point in a matter of months.