Four more states recently announced broadband infrastructure projects, which will bring high-speed Internet access to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses. The projects include several job creation efforts and a plan to expand broadband access to the most underserved state in the nation.

In Idaho: $9.8 million in funding will be used to build out fiber lines to connect local medical facilities and libraries in underserved rural areas of Whitman County. “Port of Whitman is thrilled to have these dedicated broadband infrastructure funds to help bridge the digital divide in our area," said Joe Poire, Executive Director of Port of Whitman. "This will help provide our citizens and our rural region the same opportunities for economic growth that you see in metropolitan areas.” The project’s developers noted its long-term economic growth potential, which will see the same lines available for commercial use connecting to county homes and businesses. Read the full KLEW TV report here.

In Maryland: Using a combination of federal grants and private investments, Coppin State University will invest more than $1 million to build a campus-based community broadband center. The funding will support 60 computer labs. "The idea is for people to use IT to grow in all of those areas," said York Bradshaw, the university's director of the Institute for Local to Global Community Engagement. "This will allow us to engage with the surrounding neighborhood in many new ways." Read the full Baltimore Sun story here.Read more

Four more states have announced plans to bring broadband access to underserved areas. The projects are designed to create new jobs, improve educational opportunities and close the digital divide. Here is a look at some of the projects getting underway:

In Georgia: The state has received $15 million to expand high-speed Internet access to underserved areas between Atlanta and Savannah. “Georgia has long recognized that broadband is the dial tone of the 21st century,” Gov. Sonny Perdue said in a statement. “These projects will help our state grow economically and compete on the global market.”

In Idaho: The state will receive nearly $12 million in grants and loans to expand broadband access to 3,770 underserved homes across the state.

In Louisiana: An $80 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce will provide high-speed Internet access for 100,000 households, 15,000 businesses and 1,200 “anchor institutions,” including public libraries. “What we’re doing is almost like building a highway,” said Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. “The private sector can tap into it or connect to it and directly provide internet service to hundreds of thousand of homes.”

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