Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed a bill Wednesday that promises to increase internet speeds in dozens of public schools, mostly in rural Alaska.
House Bill 193 increases state funding for federal aid programs that pay for internet access. Before the change, the state only matched the amount needed to pay for 25 megabits per second of service. HB 193 states that the state would pay for any matching required to provide 100 megabits per second.
The changes are expected to cost up to $40 million annually.
At a congressional hearing, school administrators testified that previous restrictions were inadequate and sometimes required them to shut off the internet to parts of the school so other students could take online tests. did.
HB193 quickly passed the House and Senate this month after the failure of a multipart education funding bill known as Senate Bill 140. The bill included internet penetration among other components, but Dunleavy vetoed the previous bill and lawmakers were unable to override the veto.
Lawmakers are therefore rushing to pass a standalone bill to meet the federal government’s March 27 deadline for schools to choose internet services for the 2024-2025 school year.
They met that deadline, and Dunleavy signed HB 193 on the morning of the deadline.
“We got it passed in the nick of time, and I thank everyone in the Legislature and the governor for signing it,” said Rep. Bryce Edgmon (I-Dillingham), who sponsored the bill on the House floor.
