The territory is set to receive $27 million from a new federal initiative, which, despite some limitations, promises to significantly advance the territory’s efforts in digital equity and internet expansion.
This funding comes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which laid bare the stark digital divide across the nation, including in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as many families struggled to stay connected due to a lack of affordable internet, devices, and the skills necessary to navigate the online world. The Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, sought to address these disparities by providing billions in federal dollars to enhance internet access and affordability, according to a recent news release announcing the grant award.
Jaughna Nielsen-Bobbit, director of Digital Equity and Inclusion for the territory and housed under Virgin Islands Next Generation Network (viNGN), explained to the Source this week that while the funding is a crucial step forward, there are some hurdles to overcome. Due to a federal duplication of benefits rule linked to a previous grant awarded to Liberty VI, a private entity, the territory is restricted from using the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funds to lay new fiber infrastructure until 2030, when Liberty’s grant period ends. This limitation complicates efforts to expand internet access in underserved areas like Water Island, Coral Bay, and the Northside of St. Thomas by relying on one private entity to construct crucial infrastructure typically under the authority of local government.