Money to connect Florida’s rural residents to high-speed internet likely won’t get included in the state budget, but funding for broadband projects could still become available over the next fiscal year.
Money to connect Florida’s rural residents to high-speed internet likely won’t get included in the state budget, but funding for broadband projects could still become available over the next fiscal year.
Last year, lawmakers created the Office of Broadband within the Department of Economic Opportunity. Since then, the office has begun mapping areas in the state where access to high-speed internet doesn’t exist.
The state House and Senate were working in sync to legislate $500 million in funding for broadband expansion efforts. The two chambers diverged after the Senate's plan was amended on Tuesday to remove any specified funding amounts for high-speed internet projects.