Oklahoma is poised to receive almost $800 million in federal grant funds to expand internet access across the state.
Mike Sanders, executive director of the Oklahoma Broadband Office, said this week that Oklahoma, Montana and Vermont would receive a total of $1.6 billion from the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment – BEAD – program this year.
“This is a game changer,” Sanders said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
On Thursday the National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced approval of the state’s Initial Proposal Volume II, which outlined the selection process. Sanders said the Oklahoma Broadband Office has a year from the approval date to complete the process and award funds to eligible internet service providers.
Created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the BEAD program is a $42.45 billion state grant program. The states, U.S. territories and Washington, D.C., received billions in federal funding to deploy or upgrade high-speed internet networks to ensure the public has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed -internet service.