Kansas: Governor Announces $12.9 Million in Broadband Acceleration Grants Covering 44 Rural Counties
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced on October 22 that $12.9 million has been awarded through the latest round of the state's Broadband Acceleration Grant (BAG) program. The awards will be matched with almost $14 million in private and local investment, for a total of about $27 million to expand high-speed internet access across 44 rural Kansas counties.
Kelly said her administration remains committed to making Kansas a top 10 state for broadband access, and that reliable broadband ensures more Kansans have the digital connections needed for telehealth, virtual education and business growth. Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said high-speed internet is a daily necessity, and that investing in digital infrastructure gives businesses room to grow and workers the freedom to work remotely.
The BAG program, initiated by Governor Kelly in 2020 as a 10-year, $85 million initiative, is administered by the Kansas Office of Broadband Development within the Department of Commerce and funded through the Kansas Department of Transportation's Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program. This round brings the program's total investment in broadband infrastructure to nearly $44.6 million.
The funded projects will deliver fiber and other infrastructure to underserved homes, businesses and agriculture operations in areas where distance and low population density make private expansion difficult without public co-investment.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：堪萨斯州议会大厦（Topeka）。摄影：w_lemay，CC BY-SA 2.0（Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka. Photo by w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
