State awards $28M for broadband internet projects in 88 towns and cities

State of Connecticut A map showing the locations of broadcast infrastructure projects that will funded by the first round of grants through the ConneCTed Communities Grant Program.

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By Andrew Larson

The state has awarded $28 million in pandemic-relief grants to improve broadband internet access in 88 Connecticut municipalities, Gov. Ned Lamont and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes announced.

The grants, part of the ConneCTed Communities Grant Program, will support the buildout of broadband infrastructure. The grants are administered by DEEP.

Of the 88 towns and cities, 26 are on the state’s distressed municipalities list.

The funding comes from the American Rescue Plan Act Capital Project Fund, which provides $10 billion to states for projects that help ensure communities have access to broadband infrastructure for critical services.

“The expansion of broadband infrastructure will make Connecticut’s towns and cities stronger, more resilient, and better positioned to engage in today’s increasingly digitized world,” Lamont said. “Awarding these funds is a critical step in the crucial push to make broadband more widely available.”

The grant recipients are: Comcast ($21.3 million), Verizon ($1.8 million), GoNetSpeed ($1 million) and Frontier ($3.9 million).

Here is a breakdown of the funding: