{"id":1749,"date":"2022-02-18T22:16:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-19T03:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zayo1.burbledev.com\/?post_type=resources&p=1749"},"modified":"2024-03-12T12:23:15","modified_gmt":"2024-03-12T16:23:15","slug":"transforming-broadband-the-infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/zayoustrans.burbledev.com\/es\/resources\/transforming-broadband-the-infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act\/","title":{"rendered":"Transforming Broadband: The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Thanks to innovation, technology opportunities arise all the time like faster connections, new software, and specialized processors. We\u2019re accustomed to those changes, leverage those changes, and are glad for those changes. However, those opportunities are mostly incremental improvements. Few of them have the potential to radically change how millions of people and organizations learn, communicate, and grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, we\u2019re on the cusp of a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform how the United States supports and sustains better digital innovation, and leading organizations are already thinking about the possibilities. Thanks to the recently passed  Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act<\/a>, a law aimed at pushing our nation\u2019s infrastructure and competitiveness in new directions, we\u2019re about to see a radical shift in how broadband connectivity connects people, institutions, and communities around the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s all due to the Act\u2019s focus on\u00a0middle mile infrastructure<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, what IS middle mile infrastructure?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve seen it defined as \u201cthe connections from national and major regional internet backbones to local networks,\u201d and that\u2019s as good a definition as any. It\u2019s the high-performance network that reaches out from backbones toward, but not reaching end-users. The local networks, or last mile infrastructure, are the broadband connections we\u2019re all familiar with from our local providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, why does the Act address middle mile infrastructure?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You might think that the United States is thoroughly covered with middle mile infrastructure, but you\u2019d be wrong. That\u2019s because middle mile infrastructure is costly and complex to install. Substantial parts of the country don\u2019t have adequate middle mile infrastructure, resulting in sub-standard broadband performance and\/or reliability, or simply no access at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 30 million Americans live without adequate broadband<\/a>, and this \u201cdigital divide\u201d has social and economic impacts. Businesses wishing to relocate can\u2019t choose locations without adequate middle mile infrastructure, institutions like hospitals and community colleges can\u2019t provide the digital services other institutions can (reducing their competitiveness), and end users can\u2019t fully participate in the digital economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building new middle mile infrastructure is the key to addressing these challenges, so the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides 1 billion dollars in grant money to address the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does the law say?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Section 60401<\/a> provides for grants, through the NTIA<\/a>,  to work on the following technologies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c(i) leased dark fiber, interoffice transport, backhaul, carrier-neutral internet exchange facilities, carrier-neutral submarine cable landing stations, undersea cables, transport connectivity to data centers, special access transport, and other similar services; and (ii) wired or private wireless broadband infrastructure, including microwave capacity, radio tower access, and other services or infrastructure for a private wireless broadband network, such as towers, fiber, and microwave links.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it provides support to more than a dozen kinds of institutions, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c(A) a State, political subdivision of a State, Tribal government, technology company, electric utility, utility cooperative, public utility district, telecommunications company, telecommunications cooperative, nonprofit foundation, nonprofit corporation, nonprofit institution, nonprofit association, regional planning counsel, Native entity, or economic development authority; or (B) a partnership of 2 or more entities described in subparagraph (A).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grant awards come with a set of priorities, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n