<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607523381521.png" alt="Stanley Adams, director of the office of broadband development at the Department of Commerce, said the pandemic made exceedingly clear the need for significant federal funding toward bridging the technological divide. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Stanley Adams, director of the office of broadband development at the Department of Commerce, said the pandemic made exceedingly clear the need for significant federal funding toward bridging the technological divide. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/12/08/kansas-broadband-efforts-receive-85-million-boost-to-bridge-digital-divide/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA
 — Kansas’ broadband czar says a new grant initiative will infuse tens 
of millions of dollars over the next decade into projects working to 
close the digital divide in underserved areas across Kansas.Stanley
 Adams, director of the office of broadband development at the Kansas 
Department of Commerce, said the Broadband Acceleration Grant Program 
will provide $85 million over the next decade to qualifying areas with 
low connectivity.Presenting
 Tuesday to the Special Committee on Economic Recovery, Adams told 
legislators the initiative is a major step toward adequate broadband 
services across Kansas.“What
 we know for sure is increasingly, not decreasingly, we all need to have
 access to these services,” Adams said. “We knew that before the 
pandemic. Now, a lot more people know, and there is a glaring bright 
light on it, so it’s an opportunity for us to seize.”Amid
 a crisis that exposed technology gaps in education, health and 
business, the grant program will address broadband priorities for 
underserved or economically distressed areas impacted most.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascommerce.gov/program/community-programs/broadband-acceleration-grant/" target="_blank">Applications for the first round of these funds are now open to the public</a>.The
 idea for the grant initiative originated from a 2019 task force before 
passing through the 2021 Legislature as part of the Eisenhower Legacy 
Transportation Program. Gov. Laura Kelly signed the plan into law in 
March before the legislative session was suspended.Total
 funding from the program will last 10 years, beginning in 2021. There 
will be $5 million available annually over the next three years, with 
$10 million available annually the following seven.Rep.
 Jim Gartner, a Topeka Democrat, expressed excitement that the program 
was a product of a legislative task force. He also pinpointed one reason
 federal funds were key to addressing digital inequalities.“Companies
 go out and try to make business cases, and they need X penetration 
rate, and they cannot get people for whatever reason — either cost or a 
lot of those folks feel like they’ll never utilize it,” Gartner said. 
“So it’s really, really been a struggle, and that’s where government 
money really needs to subsidize to make this happen.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607523431971.jpeg" alt="Rep. Jim Gartner (D-Topeka) said federal funding was necessary to subsidize providers struggling to get enough people to sign up for services. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Jim Gartner (D-Topeka) said federal funding was necessary to subsidize providers struggling to get enough people to sign up for services. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>In
 addition to addressing underserved areas, the grants will be awarded to
 projects that work with community stakeholders and share information 
transparently.&nbsp;Applications
 for the grants will remain open through the office of broadband 
development until Jan.7. Staff then will review the applications and 
facilitate public comment to allow providers to address any challenges 
or issues before the department announces recipients Feb. 25.Projects chosen for the initial round of grant funding should reach completion on or before Feb. 28, 2022.“It
 is an aggressive timetable, but I think that this year highlights the 
need for us to be able to get those grants out the door,” said David 
Soffer, the legislative and policy director for the commerce department.In
 a release announcing the launch of the program last month, the governor
 said this marked the first time in Kansas history there has been a 
statewide, bipartisan effort to fund increased broadband access.“These
 grants are a critical part of my administration’s work to provide 
underserved Kansans with the high-speed internet they need to compete 
economically and to improve access to health, education and commercial 
tools,” Kelly said. “We are working quickly to ensure our communities, 
no matter their ZIP code, are adequately equipped for prosperity and 
growth, as Kansas continues to rebuild its foundation.”

Kan. broadband efforts receive $85M boost to bridge digital divide