$7 Billion for US Broadband with New Relief Package

us broadbandThe coronavirus pandemic has created a need for government relief packages. This includes $7 billion for US broadband. Keep on reading to learn more.

A $900 billion Coronavirus Relief Package was passed last week. What does this mean for citizens or businesses? How about US Broadband and the telehealth initiative?

Citizen’s Relief

While this was a hot topic of debate, the government finally came to an agreement. Initially, they have guaranteed $600 to every citizen, however, active members of congress were worried this was too little to keep families afloat. Some members are currently pushing to increase this number for households. At this time, the increase is not if guaranteed. If you are interested this stimulus check applies to you, check out the AARP website.

Businesses and More

According to the Guardian, the relief package also “extends the paycheck protection program (PPP), which provided roughly $525bn in aid to more than 5 million businesses.” Educational institutions can also expect up to $82 billion with more than half of that directed at public schools. The government also is providing rental assistance to those in need.

Broadband in the US

The broadband infrastructure faced new challenges as more and more individuals moved from the office to the home office. It was not only business work from home, but education and longer hours of in-home entertainment. This put a new strain on the telecom infrastructure, which already was incomplete in some areas.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says 21 million Americans lack high-speed internet access but other studies have estimated the number at close to 42 million.

Accessible and reliable broadband connections have proven to be essential in 2020. That is why the new Coronavirus Relief Package awards $7 billion to US Broadband. This amount will directly impact the telecom infrastructure and broadband connectivity. Some of the allotted relief package will also serve to emergency broadband workers who were laid off. Axios reports that $300 million will go towards rural broadband development, $20 million to the FCC telehealth program, and $98 million to improve broadband mapping.

To stay updated on all the broadband improvement and telecom additions, be sure to contact the experts at GeoTel.

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