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Delaware Broadband Office receives final approval to bring service to underserved homes and businesses

Delaware Legislative Hall
Delaware Public Media
Delaware Legislative Hall

The Delaware Broadband Office gets approval to bring broadband service to unserved and underserved homes and businesses.

The Broadband Office submitted its final plans and forms in December. Former executive director Roddy Flynn said in December he expected final approval from the federal overseer could take up to three or four months.

Connor Perry is the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program manager. He said Delaware is one of three states to receive a quick approval.

“And part of that is that we're very fortunate to have a very flat terrain that makes this planning effort a little bit easier than we might see in some of our neighboring states with mountain ranges.”

Perry said the office located over 5,700 families and businesses that they’ll soon be getting online.

Private companies aren’t motivated to provide service because the profit margin is smaller in sparsely populated areas. But Delaware now has federal funding for Comcast and Verizon to bring high-speed internet to these places.

“A lot of the addresses that we're assisting are some of our most rural and remote addresses in the state. So these are the places where private sector just hasn't been able to help historically.”

Perry said this will allow people to access virtual health care, find employment opportunities, take classes, work remote and stay in touch with loved ones.

“It is so hard to fully summarize all of the opportunity that high speed broadband access provides… The beauty of broadband access and helping people get the information they need is that it is a gateway to opportunity.”

Administrative work and planning will take the office several months. They have hopes to start early work in June or July.

With degrees in journalism and women’s and gender studies, Abigail Lee aims for her work to be informed and inspired by both.

She is especially interested in rural journalism and social justice stories, which came from her time with NPR-affiliate KBIA at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo.

She speaks English and Russian fluently, some French, and very little Spanish (for now!)