Earlier this month, the Trump Administration canceled a bipartisan plan that would have provided $6.5 million to expand access to internet across the state of Nebraska. With that funding now in limbo, state organizations are working to identify alternatives as they continue outreach initiatives across the state.

Representatives from the Southeast Nebraska Development District (SENDD) dropped by a daily senior citizen lunch at the Fairbury Community Building Wednesday to educate a group of a dozen locals about the benefits of broadband, and showcase how access to reliable internet can help improve their lives. 

"It does us no good to invest in broadband infrastructure if nobody’s ready to use it. And that’s really the thrust behind why we’re talking in our communities, why we’re working with our partner organizations like Blue Rivers Area Agency on Aging, to help them support the individuals that they serve, so they’re comfortable online, so they’re able to navigate safely, and turn it into something that improves quality of life," said Oliver Borchers-Williams, SENDD's director of broadband development. "It saves time, saves money, saves energy, and ensures that every dollar that we’re spending on infrastructure is accompanied with returns in our communities."

Programs like the statewide BEAD initiative are designed to reinforce internet infrastructure, helping increase the availability of reliable internet throughout the state, including in Jefferson County. That program is moving ahead as scheduled, but a complementary program, the Digital Equity Act, had its plug pulled earlier this month by the federal government. 

Established in the 2021 bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, that program provided $2.25 billion spread across all 56 states and territories, aimed at developing and implementing programs to help bridge the digital divide across the country.

That includes providing Nebraska with $6.5 million to implement the state's Digital Opportunity Plan, a combined effort across multiple statewide orgs that outlines five goals "to ensure the state's residents are able to fully utilize broadband access, with the vision that Nebraskans are able to effectively use broadband to improve their lives and grow the economy," according to a Wednesday press release from SENDD.

Those five goals include increasing internet availability and access, widening access to internet-connected devices, improving users' navigational and technological skills, and expanding access to improved services like Telehealth - all of which is in jeopardy if that federal funding is eliminated. 

"With turnover in the administration, they were looking at some of these programs and determined that the Digital Equity Act wasn’t something they wanted to see proceed," Borchers-Williams said. "So the White House and the Department of Commerce officially rescinded that award, not just to Nebraska but to all states and territories. So right now we’re kind of in limbo, looking for some additional funding opportunities to really do some of this important, meaningful work to make sure that people are ready to use the internet. 

SENDD says funding for BEAD and other infrastructure operations comes from different channels and, as of now, that program’s objective of maximizing internet accessibility by 2029 is still in sight.