HUD Directs States, Localities to Review Broadband in Low-Income Communities
State and local governments should consider broadband access as they assess affordable housing and community development needs, said the Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD added the broadband requirement to its Consolidated Plan with a rule to be in…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
Friday's Federal Register. The plan outlines priorities for funding by HUD’s formula block grant programs. “States and localities that submit a Consolidated Plan [must] describe the broadband access in housing occupied by low- and moderate-income households,” said the notice. If low-income residents in the communities lack such access, it said, "States and jurisdictions must consider providing broadband access to these residents in their decisions on how to invest HUD funds.” The digital divide remains a problem, many say (see 1612130066).