The Capital Project Fund (CPF) has awarded the state of New Jersey $180 million to support a wide range of infrastructure projects that promote public health and safety, digital connectivity and equitable access to critical services. The state will use $70 million of that funding for broadband.
CPF, part of the American Rescue Plan, is designed to provide crucial funding for enhancing the quality of life, economic vitality, and resilience of communities across the United States.
Broadband projects that will benefit from the award include:
- The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has been approved for $50 million to create and administer the New Jersey Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Equity (NJBIDE) program, which will connect areas with limited or no access to reliable broadband internet.
- NJ TRANSIT’s Connected Bus program, which will receive $15 million to address inequities in internet access by providing free high-speed Wi-Fi with an activated ticket onboard public transport buses.
- An additional $5 million allocated to New Jersey will go to other projects that address the digital divide by providing the public with easier access to devices and the internet at public-facing state agencies.
“Lowering costs for affordable internet is critical . . . to expanding economic opportunity in communities across the country,” said Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Wally Adeyemo in a prepared statement. “This funding . . . will help increase access to high-speed internet for thousands of New Jerseyans so they can compete in the 21st century economy.”
“These are essential investments in New Jersey’s future, expanding access to high-speed internet, rebuilding schools, making it safer for mothers giving birth, and more,” U.S. Senator Cory Booker said
As a densely populated northeastern state, New Jersey has relatively few unserved locations per capita. But the state will be receiving an additional $264 million in federal funding through the upcoming BEAD rural broadband funding program.
