Here is a look at four more statewide broadband projects getting underway after the USDA announced $1.2 billion in additional high-speed Internet access and adoption projects:

North Carolina: $83 million has been awarded to four projects that will expand rural broadband access across the state, building up thousands of miles of fiber and creating new jobs. Read about the projects here.

North Dakota: $24 million has been awarded for two projects to bring broadband and high-speed video services to underserved and rural parts of the state. The project is expected to reach more than 5,000 people, 450 businesses and 15 other community institutions, while creating at least 248 new, long-term jobs. North Dakota’s congressional delegation, Rep. Earl Pomeroy and Sens. Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan said in a written statement that the funding will “spur job creation and economic development” in the state. “This funding will improve broadband connectivity for thousands of residents and hundreds of businesses in rural North Dakota,” they wrote. Read more here.

Ohio: $14.5 million has been awarded to five companies who will expand broadband access to more than 20,000 homes, 450 businesses and 14 community institutions. "(Broadband) is in our time what electricity was in the 1920s and 1930s and the highway system in the 1950s and 1960s," said Rep. Zack Space said. "The gaps that exists in technology in the health and safety field will widen without this technology. Read more about the projects here.

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Several more states have launched broadband expansion projects designed to build-up high-speed Internet infrastructure and access. Here is a look at some of the new efforts getting underway:

Massachusetts: The town of Florida voted to partner with 47 other communities on a broadband infrastructure expansion project with WiredWest. Read more here.

Oklahoma: The state plans to improve its broadband services through a combination of public-private partnerships. The first stage is a statewide broadband mapping project, where citizens can test their broadband speeds and collect data on where services are available. The second phase is a major set of broadband infrastructure and access expansion projects. Read BroadbandBreakfast.com’s full coverage here.

Texas: The Coalition of Health Services, the Amarillo Area Foundation and AMA TechTel Communications have proposed a public-private broadband expansion project that would build 1,422 miles of fiber, connecting 27 public health institutions and 123 public institutions, including schools, local governments and economic development organizations. Read more here.

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Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas have been awarded $28.6 million in new grants from the Commerce Department to build out more than 680 miles of fiber in 35 communities. Allegiance Communications said the four-state project would bring broadband access to an estimated 12,700 homes and 230 businesses, along with upgrading the high-speed Internet capabilities of public safety organizations.

Read the Broadband Breakfast story here.

Five more states have launched new broadband efforts designed to increase high-speed Internet access, improve medical health records and improve state facilities that provide broadband access to the public. Here is a look at some of those projects being announced:

Massachusetts: Gov. Deval Patrick announced his state has applied for a $45.4 million federal stimulus grant to expand broadband access in the western part of the state. “Bringing adequate broadband service to unserved and under-served communities in western Massachusetts has been a priority of my administration from the start,” Patrick said. The project would build 1,338 miles of fiber, connecting businesses, homes, hospitals, public libraries and community colleges. Read the full story here.

Missouri: Gov. Jay Nixon’s office will submit 12 broadband proposals for stimulus grants as part of the MoBroadbandNow effort. The project’s goal is to expand broadband access to 95 percent of the state. Read the full story here.

New Hampshire: Network New Hampshire, a coalition of public and private sector groups, are applying for a $66 million grant to expand broadband access across the state.“The middle-mile network is seen as a major opportunity for economic development,” said George Bald, commissioner of the state’s Department of Resources and Economic Development, in a news release about the application. Read the Sentinel Source story here.

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