WASHINGTON – The National
Telecommunications and Information Administration has awarded Iowa three grants
totaling over $5 million to help expand high-speed internet access. The
investment comes from the bipartisan infrastructure law that Sen. Chuck
Grassley (R-Iowa)
supported last year. The critical infrastructure funding from this legislation
is now
benefiting and
improving communities across
Iowa,
with this latest announcement providing a boost for much-needed broadband
initiatives.
“Iowans in every corner of the state need
reliable internet access in today’s economy for work, school and telehealth
appointments. While we’ve made great progress in expanding internet access in
rural Iowa, there’s more work to do. It’s one of the many reasons I supported
the bipartisan infrastructure law. I’m glad this bill will help expand and
improve internet access for all Iowans, and I’ll continue doing my part to
ensure more of Iowans’ hard-earned tax dollars come back to our state,” Grassley said.
The bipartisan infrastructure law
guaranteed an overall total of $65 billion for broadband services, with a
particular focus on unserved and underserved communities – including Iowa. This
latest announcement includes a $5 million Broadband Equity, Access and
Deployment (BEAD) planning grant to the state of Iowa, as well as a Tribal
Broadband Connectivity Program grant of over $400,000 to the Meskwaki Tribe in
Iowa. Additionally, Iowa will receive a grant of over $700,000 from the Digital
Equity Program to develop plans for broadband expansion.
Funding from the bipartisan
infrastructure law has already been approved for many other projects across the
state. Recently, businesses in Allamakee, Hamilton, Washington and Winneshiek
counties received a total of
over $5 million in new financing through the ReConnect Loan and Grant Program to
expand internet access.
Last month, the Federal Highway
Administration announced
Iowa City will receive a $300,000 grant for highway and bridge improvements. In
August, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)
announced nearly $25 million in overall grant funding for the cities of
Dubuque, Muscatine and Waterloo to help complete roadway, bridge and other
related projects. Additionally, with funding from the bipartisan infrastructure
bill, the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) has updated its five-year
plan to include many other
road and bridge improvement projects. In July, USDOT announced
five airports in Iowa will receive $27 million in overall grant funding under the fiscal
year 2022 Airport Terminal Program, which was created by the bipartisan
infrastructure law.
Earlier this year, the Lewis & Clark
Regional Water System – which is responsible for providing rural water to
northwest Iowa communities like Rock Rapids, Hull and Sioux Center – received
$75.5 million from the infrastructure bill. Project leaders plan to use this
investment to finish 17 miles of pipeline, construct two meter buildings and
build a new pump station. On the other side of the state, the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers announced an
$829.1 million investment in lock and dam modernization projects along the upper
Mississippi River – one of Iowa’s top five infrastructure improvement
priorities.
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