On May 10, the US Treasury released its Interim Final Rule on the use of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, which was established as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Of note, in its guidance, the Treasury will require broadband infrastructure projects receiving funding under this program to “Reliably meet or exceed” download speeds of 100 Mbps and upload speeds of 20 Mbps.
This guidance aligns with that found in other programs and is welcome news to those that continue to fall behind the rest of the country due to lack of access to broadband Internet.
This is notable to Loudoun as county officials are expected to look for ARPA to fund a portion of the cost of closing the digital divide in rural Loudoun. Rural Loudoun residents and businesses should expect to see 100Mbps as an option among the services offered.
Read the Treasury’s press release here:
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0169
The Treasury’s Interim Final Rule can be read here:
https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/FRF-Interim-Final-Rule.pdf