Broadband VI, gets $84.5M in FCC funds to provide high-speed service to USVI
The Federal Communications Commission announced it has awarded 84.5 million over 10 years to Broadband VI to provide 1 gigabit per second fixed broadband service to all locations in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The funding is through the Connect USVI Fund’s Stage 2 competitive process, which will extend high-speed broadband to 46,039 locations in the USVI, the agency said.
Last week, the FCC announced that all of Puerto Rico would have access to fixed voice and broadband service with speeds of at least 100 Mbps as a result of Stage 2 of Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund, with nearly one-third of locations to have access to fixed broadband at speeds of at least 1 Gbps. Liberty Puerto Rico and Claro Puerto Rico will receive a combined $127 million in funding, as this media outlet reported.
In the Connect USVI Fund, Broadband VI committed to offering 1 Gbps service to all eligible locations in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Today’s announcement is a big win for residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “This funding will ensure that fast, resilient broadband networks reach all homes and businesses in the U.S. Virgin Islands.”
“Our action today, coming on the heels of the successful conclusion of the Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund’s Stage 2 Competitive Process, is another milestone in our ongoing work to close the digital divide and bring the benefits of a high-speed broadband connection to all Americans,” Pai said.
