HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut plans to release approximately $28 million in grant money to support the buildout of broadband infrastructure in over half of the state’s communities.
Gov. Ned Lamont and Commissioner Katie Dykes of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced on Friday that the money is from the first round of the ConneCTed Communities Grant Program.
Eighty-eight cities and towns across Connecticut will benefit from the initial round of grant funding, including 26 communities on the state’s Distressed Municipalities list. Lamont’s office says the money comes from the state’s portion of American Rescue Plan Act Capital Project Fund dollars.
Around $40.8 million is available for the program, which aims to create access to high-speed internet by supporting infrastructure projects that bring the state closer to providing affordable, resilient, and reliable broadband in all its communities.
“The expansion of broadband infrastructure will make Connecticut’s towns and cities stronger, more resilient and better positioned to engage in today’s increasingly digitalized world,” Lamont said. “Awarding these funds is a critical step in the crucial push to make broadband more widely available.”
Dykes says that broadband is a necessary part of daily life and that bringing high-speed internet access to every municipality in the state is a must for Connecticut’s future.
“The ConneCTed Communities Grant Program was developed with the goal of reaching every unserved and underserved location in the state, preparing our communities with the infrastructure they’ll need in the years to come,” Dykes said.
The community that will receive the most grant funding this round is Greenwich, where there will be 148 project locations costing approximately $1.8 million.
The town with the most project locations is East Windsor, with 237, costing approximately $837,000.
Across the state, there will be a total of 3,320 project locations. The official cost statewide is $27,972,822, according to Lamont’s office.
Businesses receiving funds include, Comcast, Verizon, GoNetspeed, and SNET. Comcast, is receiving over $21 million of the $28 million and says they will be expanding broadband to over 2,000 addresses across the state.
Carolyne Hannan, Senior Vice President of Comcast’s New England Region, said the corporation is proud "to further expand our Xfinity network to thousands of homes and businesses across the state that are still not connected to reliable, secure and fast Internet service.”
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Officials expect the second round of grant funding will distribute another $12.8 million; the application period began on Oct. 1. Applicants will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are expended in advance of the December 2026 ARPA funding deadline, Lamont’s office says.
The second round will continue helping infrastructure buildouts and will include support services for multi-dwelling units in distressed municipalities.
DEEP is also administering the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, or BEAD, which will fund the deployment of broadband infrastructure to other unserved and underserved Connecticut populations. DEEP says that around $144 million is available for this program, and prequalification applications for potential BEAD applicants will begin later this month.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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