When it comes to connectivity, Connecticut (pun intended) is in the enviable situation of having 99% of its locations already powered by broadband. But statewide usage statistics — from the American Community Survey and providers’ adoption data — showed that only about 87% of its locations actually subscribe to internet. That roughly 12% gap means the state has other priorities for broadband funding than many less-well-connected states.
That’s what Connecticut’s Director of Telecommunications and Broadband Kevin Pisacich told Telecompetitor when he spoke with us recently. “We’re not just looking at access; we’re also looking at adoption and affordability.”
Pisacich describes a statewide, holistic approach to broadband, in which every agency works together to push the three priorities forward at once.
“My agency also works on energy supply, so we’re working on grid resiliency and how we can dovetail those efforts for resilient broadband. Other offices in our agency are looking at affordable housing, retrofits, and decarbonization. Another agency is creating a digital equity plan, so we want to leverage that and work on the adoption gap. We’re braiding these other initiatives together to get the best opportunity across multiple fronts.”
You Can Take the Man Out of Connecticut…
Pisacich is a Connecticut native who worked for the city of Oxnard, California for six years before coming back to his home state. In Oxnard, working for the city’s IT department, he helped develop the city’s “fiber master plan” and became heavily involved in the broadband space.
In 2021, when Connecticut was hiring for a state broadband director, Pisacich saw how seriously the state was committed to broadband for all, and he thought the opportunity was “too good to pass up.” He entered the director role in January 2022.
Today, Pisacich and his four-person broadband team are embedded in the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and work closely with other state agencies, including the Office of Policy and Management, which helps with broadband mapping and availability data; the state’s Commission for Educational Technology, which works on digital equity issues; the Office of Consumer Counsel, which helps with provider/consumer issues; and an in-house legal team.
“Our programs are really well-informed by community input,” Pisacich said, describing his office’s practice of holding statewide convenings with local leaders, Tribal leaders, and broadband providers.
Seeking community feedback is also a vital part of his office’s approach. “We’ve had a very open, transparent, and engaged process, and we’ve tried to inform, educate, and involve the community as we go along.”
Reaching the Hardest-to-Reach
In Connecticut, the hardest-to-reach locations are in low-density areas, especially in rural towns in the northeast and northwest corners of the state where homes are set back from the road, and on the islands off the state’s shore in the Long Island Sound. A unique approach to these locations will, Pisacich hopes, help bring the best broadband possible to those locations and the rest of the state.
In breaking up the state into workable regions, the Connecticut broadband office is asking grant applicants to propose bringing fiber to every location. But, Pisacich says, “terrestrial-based providers may not be able to serve those locations without huge costs, so they may not even bid.”
As a result, the office is allowing the islands to be separated into their own region, when needed. That way, one provider can bring fiber to the area aside from the islands, and other providers employing alternative technologies can deliver broadband to the islands.
By using this approach, Pisacich expects to receive “multiple applications, have multiple options, and then we’ll be able to get those harder locations served within the timeframe.”
Ultimately, Pisacich believes Connecticut will be able to reach all 6,107 of its unserved locations and all 1,122 of its underserved locations, and then focus the remaining funding on the state’s 7,000 anchor institutions.
Connecticut has various funds to work with: $144 million in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funds, $40.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Capital Project Funds, and a capacity grant of an additional $9.1 million the state hopes to receive.
The state also has a “nationally renowned” research and educational network that touches all of Connecticut’s cities and towns and connects nearly 700 anchor institutions. That network also has around $73 million in ARPA funds for three programs: (1) upgrading and expanding the network, (2) creating community Wi-Fi networks, and (3) connecting additional anchor institutions.
Pisacich says Connecticut is hoping to do only a single round of BEAD funding, but the broadband office is leaving open the possibility of multiple rounds.
As far as timing, Pisacich and his team don’t feel the need to rush. “We’ve been meeting or exceeding the federal [timeline] guidelines. We’re making sure [our process] is well-informed, based on sound data, and has ample time for community feedback. We expect to continue that approach — ensuring that accuracy, integrity, and an open process based on data is carried all the way through.
“What’s more important than doing it fast is doing it well.”
Additional information about Connecticut broadband, including state funding resources, awards made, and state-specific coverage, can be found on the Telecompetitor Broadband Nation webpage for the state.
