Federal Administrators and State Officials Must Maximize the Positive Impact of Unprecedented Resources to Permanently Close the Digital Divide

Press Release
September 1, 2022
Contact: Jon Conradi
[email protected]

Washington, D.C. – Connect Americans Now (CAN) executive director Richard T. Cullen issued the following statement Thursday following the announcement that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has given Louisiana the first two broadband grant awards funded through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program established by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

“We applaud the administration for its dedication to closing the digital divide and look forward to the full and successful implementation of these historic programs, established with overwhelmingly bipartisan support,” Cullen said. “To permanently eliminate the digital divide, it will be critical for federal administrators and state officials to ensure broadband and digital equity plans are designed to reach as many people as possible, as quickly as possible — to maximize the positive impact of these unprecedented resources.”

Connect Americans Now (CAN) is a broad-based coalition of more than 300 organizations representing leading voices in agriculture, education, health care, veterans’ issues, technology, and small business — committed to urgent action to completely eliminate the digital divide in every American community.

Learn more about how federal agencies can maximize the effectiveness of infrastructure resources to eliminate the digital divide HERE.

Find out more about Connect Americans Now (CAN) and our mission HERE.

###