Federal officials have approved the state of Arizona’s plan to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to improve internet access in communities across the state.Assistant Secretary of Commerce Alan Davidson joined Gov. Katie Hobbs to announce the approval, which will allow the state to spend $993 million in federal dollars.“Generations before us did very big things — they connected everybody in America with electricity and with water. They built the Interstate highway system,” Davidson said. “This is our generation’s big infrastructure moment.”Part of the Biden administration’s “Internet for all plan,” Arizona’s allocation is part of a larger $42-billion pot approved by Congress in 2021 as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law.That larger program — called the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program — prioritizes bringing internet access to unserved communities (defined as those will access to internet speeds under 25 megabits per second download speeds) and underserved communities (places with access to speeds of 100 megabits per second or less).Hobbs said plans detailing where the state plans to use the money are forthcoming, but she said, broadly speaking, it will go towards helping all Arizonans throughout the state connect to affordable, high-speed internet, echoing the Biden administration’s goal to ensure all Americans are connected to high-speed broadband by 2030.“Our plan is to expand broadband infrastructure across the state, so every community that is currently underserved that needs this resource — our plan includes them,” Hobbs said.She said the state conducted community outreach …
