The U.S. Treasury has awarded Oklahoma $167.7 million in the $10 billion Capital Projects Fund (CPF) program. The funding will serve about 13% of locations in the state that currently lack high speed Internet access.
The funding, which was made to the Oklahoma Broadband Infrastructure Grants (OBIG) program, will be used to provide broadband access to about 20,000 homes and businesses in the state. The plan, which was approved by the U.S. Treasury Department, represents 100% of Oklahoma’s CPF allocation.
OBIG is a competitive grant program aimed at reducing financial barriers for ISPs to build out broadband infrastructure to areas in the state that have historically been cost prohibitive.
“The pandemic upended life as we knew it and exposed the stark inequity in access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet in communities across the country, including rural, Tribal, and other underrepresented communities,” Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said in a press release about the Oklahoma Capital Projects Fund award.
This funding, he said, is part of “historic investments to increase access to high-speed internet for millions of Americans and provide more opportunities to fully participate and compete in the 21st century economy.”
More than $8 billion has been awarded in the CPF program, which supports capital projects in states, territories, freely associated states and Tribal governments. Many governments are enhancing their awards with funds from their State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF). Plans must include participation in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).
The Oklahoma Broadband Office named a new executive director — former Oklahoma House member Mike Sanders — earlier this year and has been staffing up. In July, the office said that one of its priorities is implementing the CPF funding.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury awarded $158 million in CPF funding to Puerto Rico. The commonwealth will use $85.7 million for broadband infrastructure, $64.7 million for multi-purpose community technology centers and $8 million for administrative purposes. It represents Puerto Rico’s total CPF program allotment.
Information about Oregon funding programs, including links to state broadband office resources and previous Telecompetitor coverage, can be found on the Broadband Nation page for Oklahoma.
