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Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy plans to signal laws handed days forward of a funding utility deadline that goals to increase web download speeds for rural schools.
Under the invoice, HB193, schools would find a way to get grants to increase download speeds to 100 megabits per second, a four-fold increase over what’s presently out there in state legislation, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Supporters of the measure see it as an fairness challenge. The Federal Communications Commission this month mentioned trendy broadband networks ought to present at least 100 mbps.
ALASKA LAWMAKERS FAIL TO OVERRIDE OF GOV. DUNLEAVY’S VETO OF EDUCATION PACKAGE
A model of the web invoice handed the Senate final yr however was rewritten within the House this session to turn into a broader training package deal that Dunleavy vetoed late final month. Lawmakers failed to override the veto, leaving them scrambling to get one other invoice handed that will assist eligible schools apply for funding earlier than a Wednesday deadline.
Alaska Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to reporters throughout a information convention on subjects together with training on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)
The Senate handed HB193 Monday, following House passage final week. Dunleavy, on social media, mentioned whereas the invoice “is not perfect and there is additional need for more work on the affordability of broadband in Alaska, this is a step in the right direction. The increased internet speed will help schools’ educational process, especially in rural Alaska.”
There is disagreement over this system’s value. The state training division estimates it could value practically $40 million per yr however members of the Alaska Telecom Association say the associated fee to the state is probably going nearer to $15 million a yr. Federal grants usually match state funds 8 to 1.
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Last yr, 151 schools acquired $6.6 million in state funding for up to 25 mbps download speeds.
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