British stone. LOUIS — The Office of Broadband Development just released a new tool for Missouri. An interactive map shows where you can and can’t use high-speed internet. It’s part of the federal government’s $1.7 billion plan to give more people better access to the internet through the Broadband Equitable Access and Deployment (BEAD) initiative.
This map was developed for the BEAD challenge. This is when people can tell the government where there is no reliable or fast internet but should be. The challenge starts on March 18, 2024 and ends on April 19, 2024. If you’d like to know when the competition starts, you can sign up to receive emails from the Office of Broadband Development.
The Show-Me state ranks low in the nation for high-speed Internet access, with more than 400,000 households having no access at all. There are 337,000 locations without access to internet speeds of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload, and these locations are considered to have no service.
What are the advantages of high-speed Internet? Broadband significantly increases remote learning and work opportunities, supports advanced communications services such as VoIP, enables rapid remote medical consultations, improves access to cultural and educational resources, supports streaming services, and simplifies online shopping.
Justin Fazzari of Sanborn, who helped create the map, said the tool was designed to ensure everything is fair and follows the rules during the BEAD challenge. It will also help internet companies decide where to invest in improving internet access.