Del. Offers $56-Million In Grants To Build Expanded Broadband

Delaware is making $56-million in Broadband Infrastructure Grants available to begin making high-speed wired broadband connection available to every Delaware home.
Comcast, Verizon and Mediacom plan to extend their existing coverage areas to serve thousands more homes and businesses that currently do not have access to high speed wired broadband.
The providers applied for the grant application last fall. Construction is expected to begin in the next few weeks.

“Stable, high-speed internet connection is important for all Delaware families, students, and businesses,” Governor John Carney said. “Now, with the availability of federal funds, we are on our way to giving Delawareans across the state access to connect to school, work, health care, and more. Thank you to the Department of Technology and Information working toward our goal of being the first state to connect every residence and business to broadband internet.”

Funding comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and the Infrastructure Act that were passed by Congress and signed by President Biden. The grants cover up to 75% of capital construction costs, and the providers contribute a minimum 25% match.

The broadband infrastructure grants are as follows:

Broadband Infrastructure Grant Awards:

• Comcast – $33.1 million
• Verizon – $11.8 million
• Mediacom – $11.1 million

“Expanding access to reliable broadband service has long been a priority for Delaware,” Delaware Department of Technology and Information Chief Information Officer Jason Clarke said. “Thanks to our ability to leverage funding made available from Congress and the President and with the support of Governor Carney, we are excited to execute on the strategy of our stakeholders and our well-positioned vendor community to close the digital divide in Delaware.” 

According to the plan, Comcast, Verizon and Mediacom will build out and extend current broadband infrastructure over the next 36 months, delivering fixed wireline internet access at minimum speed of 100 megabits per second download and 20 megabits per second upload.

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“We are thrilled to be given this opportunity to expand Mediacom’s fiber network and increase high-speed broadband access within Delaware,” Mediacom Government Partnerships Director Chris Lord said. “The staff at the Delaware Department of Technology and Information created an amazingly efficient application process that effectively utilizes public resources to encourage private investment while leveraging existing fiber infrastructure.”  

“Verizon is excited to participate in Delaware’s Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program, ” Verizon Vice President of Public Policy Tony Lewis said. “This Grant will help Verizon deploy our best in class all-fiber network technology to deliver our flagship Fios Home Internet service — with speeds up to 940 Mbps and no data caps —  to roughly 3,000 additional unserved locations. We appreciate the leadership of Governor Carney and the other State officials in quickly and aggressively implementing the federal funding that President Biden and Congress have made available to help close the digital divide. We look forward to a continued partnership with the State for this and future programs that will flow from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”

“We’re proud to partner with the state of Delaware and continue our investment to bring our fiber-rich network and advanced services to residents up and down the state,” Comcast Beltway Region Senior Vice President Michael Parker said. “This partnership will bolster the hundreds of millions of dollars Comcast has already invested in the state to connect thousands of currently unserved homes to our gigabit speed fiber network. Technology is a powerful driver of innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth, and we’re committed to helping individuals and communities fully participate in the digital economy.”