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 subsidy 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 needed to provide 100 megabits per second.
Changes are expected to be costly Up to $40 million per year.
At a congressional hearing, school administrators testified that previous restrictions were insufficient and sometimes required them to shut off the internet to parts of the school so other students could take online tests. did.
HB193 progressed rapidly It passed the House and Senate this month following the failure of a multi-component education funding bill known as Senate Bill 140. The bill included internet penetration among other elements, but Dunleavy vetoed the previous bill and lawmakers were unable to override the veto.
So the MP resigned. Rushing to pass a stand-alone bill This is to meet the federal government’s March 27 deadline for schools to select 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.
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