LINCOLN- Gov. Pete Ricketts announced that the state had received around $5.6 million through two grants awarded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The funds, according to Gov. Ricketts, will be used to develop plans to expand Nebraska's broadband services, especially in the state's western region.

Connect Nebraska, a group developed by Gov. Ricketts, applied for and won the grants. One of the grants will be used to generate a state broadband map, set up outreach activities, and enable the Nebraska Public Service Commission to hire more staff. The other grant will be used to secure internet connections statewide and promote telehealth technologies.

Patrick Redmond, Nebraska's broadband coordinator, stated, "Now that we have received funding for both the Digital Equity Program and the BEAD program, we can begin the next phase in our plan to connect every Nebraskan."

Previously, the state had received around $90 million from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to expand broadband to cover around 21,000 historically underserved houses and businesses.

State officials still expect around $100 million more in federal funds to support broadband, but it's unclear if and when this will occur.

Thus far, all of the funding received by Nebraska has come from President Biden's infrastructure bill, which received mixed support from Nebraska lawmakers in Washington, D.C.

Expanding Broadband in Nebraska has been a top priority since 2018, when Gov. Ricketts created the Rural Broadband Task Force. Since then, Ricketts has signed several pieces of legislation allocating around $150 million to develop broadband infrastructure.

"In today's digital world, broadband connectivity is basic infrastructure," said Ricketts in a press release, "No matter the distance Nebraskans live from a city, they should have access to the online tools they need to live, learn, and do business."

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