Narayan AmmachchiThe US government approved funding for a multi-million dollar broadband infrastructure project, which includes a submarine cable to connect Puerto Rico with the Dominican Republic and the US Virgin Islands.
The whole project will receive US$158 million in federal funding, with US$85 million being set aside for the submarine cable. The rest of the money will be used to build “multi-purpose technology centers” (US$67 million) and to fund administrative programs handled by the Puerto Rican authorities (US$8 million).
Another US$72.3 million are expected to come from the Puerto Rican government and private funding.
Three new cable landing stations will be constructed on Puerto Rico’s coastline as part of the project.
Puerto Rico is already well on its way to connecting all of its municipalities with high-speed fiber optic cable to make its telecommunications networks more resilient to natural disasters.
Part of the fund will be for the construction of 5G infrastructure and the deployment of other advanced wireless technologies.
“Broadband speeds should reach at least 100 Mbps and latency 100 ms by 2027,” according to a press release.
According to Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves, more than 61,000 households on the island do not have access to broadband internet.
“Increasing broadband access will expand access to health care, education and employment, and is a monumental step that will allow more Americans to participate in our modern economy,” Graves stated.
Puerto Rico will invest an additional $64.7 million in CPF funds for the construction of a large number of technology centers. These centers will provide high-speed Internet access to enable people to work remotely, gain digital skills, and access remote health services.
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