During his most recent visit to the Federal Capital, the governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro R. Pierluisi, together with the Undersecretary of the Department of Commerce, Don Graves, formally received an allocation of $158,000,000 from the Department of the Treasury, from the American Rescue Plan, for the implementation of broadband and telecommunications connectivity projects on the Island. The coordinator for the implementation of the American Rescue Plan in the White House and a senior advisor to President Biden, Gene Sperling, also participated in the announcement.

Accompanied by the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OGP) and president of the Executive Committee of the Broadband Program, Juan Carlos Blanco Urrutia; the executive director of the Broadband Program, Enrique Völckers-Nin and the Deputy Director of the Broadband Program, Antonio Ramos Guardiola, the first executive thanked the Biden-Harris Administration for the new assignment that will allow the continuation of current initiatives to reduce the digital divide in Puerto Rico.

“In December of last year, Undersecretary Graves and I led the 'Economic Dialogue' at the White House, which has been an unprecedented initiative in which federal and state government officials joined forces to work out economic development strategies for the Island. Today we are witnessing the results of this work, as we are moving in the right direction. These funds that we announced today will make a big difference in our Island and will allow us to ensure that we have the necessary infrastructure so that our citizens have access to the Internet and provide the necessary technical assistance and training,” said Pierluisi, who highlighted his government's “Smart Island” initiative in which a 5-year action plan was developed that will ensure that federal and state funds for the Broadband program are used within the established terms.

Among the projects that will be worked on with the funds received is the creation of several Multi Service Centers in vulnerable areas. These, which will be worked directly with the municipalities, will range from simple phases of using digital equipment to more technical training and will have the capacity for citizens to go to telework, tele-study or telemedicine.

Also, the money will be invested in the creation of Internet Centres to provide connectivity services to citizens using equipment that exists in those facilities. The priority will be those municipalities that currently do not have these facilities or need to improve the current ones.

Another use of the allocated funds is for a submarine cable that provides several connection points around the Island for greater resilience in communications. “This submarine fiber optic cable will be connected to Data Centers that will be built to increase data competitiveness in Puerto Rico, which will open the door for multinational companies to use the Island as a service center to store their data,” added the governor.

“The historic investment of the Biden-Harris Administration will help us close the digital divide and this is one of the president's many efforts that demonstrate his commitment to equity. Reliable and affordable high-speed Internet access is a must, connecting patients to their healthcare providers, students to teachers, and small businesses to a global market,” said Undersecretary Don Graves. “More than 61,000 homes and small businesses in Puerto Rico are in areas without broadband infrastructure. Increasing access to broadband will expand access to health care, education and employment, and it's a monumental step that will allow more Americans to participate in our modern economy.”

In addition, President Biden's senior advisor, Gene Sperling, said that “the pandemic created a moment of national teaching about how much each family now needs to have affordable, high-speed Internet to enjoy basic economic and educational opportunities. High-speed broadband Internet for all is now a need, not a luxury, and this $158 million American Rescue Plan for community technology centers and half-mile underwater connections will be a big step forward for Puerto Rico to achieve this critical goal.”

Another reason for the visit to the Federal Capital was to explain the projects that will be carried out with different federal and local funds, such as underground and fiber construction throughout the island, on each main and secondary road.

“This project will focus efforts to ensure that everything we call Community Anchor Institutions has high-capacity 1GB connectivity. Hospitals, shelters, police stations, emergency management, firefighters, schools, churches, community centers, public squares, public housing, centers for the elderly, correctional facilities, transportation facilities, among others,” said Völckers-Nin.

The meeting also spoke about the Public Wi-Fi project in squares, recreational centers, community centers, beaches, tourist areas, government centers and other areas commonly used by citizens. The distribution of funds to telecommunications companies to improve their resilience was also addressed, focusing the investment of funds on acquiring energy generation or storage equipment.

In addition, the complete work plan to address the digital divide, training, grants to citizens, and professional training were discussed. In addition, there was a discussion about improvements in telecommunications infrastructure to government entities to facilitate service to citizens and the interconnection between them.

“Puerto Rico has received $334.6 million in federal funding for the broadband program and the government has $400,000,000 in local funds to continue promoting the development of these projects. We remain focused on achieving Governor Pierluisi's commission within the given amount of time,” added Blanco Urrutia.

The Puerto Rico Broadband Program was created by Executive Order 2022-40 and its four main pillars are: connectivity, quality, accessibility and knowledge. For additional details of the Puerto Rico Broadband Program, you can visit (https://www.smartisland.pr.gov).

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