The Grant to Rapidly Invest and Deploy Broadband, or GRID Broadband Act, introduced this month by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, would provide a robust new federal cost-share to drive investment in a nationwide middle-mile broadband backbone along the nation’s existing energy grid.

Electric companies long have incorporated telecommunications equipment and fiber technology into their operations to support communications and to provide real-time monitoring and controls for generation and transmission operations. They also are leveraging existing and planned fiber optic networks along their rights-of-way to serve as an intermediary between major communications carriers and local internet service providers serving customers.

EEI member companies’ involvement in middle-mile broadband infrastructure complements efforts at the state and federal levels to enable Americans who live in mostly rural areas to join the digital economy. It also supports EEI’s commitment to advance racial and social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. (Read more about these ongoing efforts in the May/June 2021 issue of Electric Perspectives.)

“EEI commends Senators Cantwell and Capito for prioritizing fiber investments that will help close the digital divide, ultimately benefiting all Americans,” EEI President Tom Kuhn said. “This act will provide resources to help accelerate the deployment of fiber that will provide additional flexibility to energy grid operators in the event of extreme weather. It also will improve cybersecurity and resilience, and will help with the further integration of renewable and energy storage technologies.”

"Additionally, these fiber investments will significantly boost opportunities for electric companies to build out middle-mile broadband infrastructure, creating jobs and connecting underserved and unserved customers," Kuhn added.