2021 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Technology
John Bel Edwards:
Fund high speed, afford broadband for everyone in Louisiana
I want to make sure that we are maximizing federal dollars to serve as many people as possible.
That includes capitalizing on funding for high speed, affordable broadband for every single person in Louisiana.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to Louisiana legislature
Apr 12, 2021
Ron DeSantis:
Floridians have a right to control their personal data
Floridians have a right to control their personal data and Big Tech should not be able to make billions of dollars off us without our informed consent. Florida always strongly supports free speech, and we cannot allow the contours of acceptable
speech to be adjudicated by the whims of oligarchs in Silicon Valley. Nor we can allow Floridians to be "de-platformed" or silenced with no means of recourse. This is especially true of those who rely on these technology platforms for their livelihoods.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Florida legislature
Mar 2, 2021
Janet Mills:
High speed internet as fundamental as electricity
High speed internet is as fundamental as electricity, heat, and water. It is the primary way of connecting with others in the 21st century. It is the modern equivalent of rural electrification in the 1930's and the interstate highway system in the
1950's. We need to have high speed internet throughout our state. I will be asking for an additional $30 million for infrastructure and for internet that is affordable for Maine families, students, seniors, businesses and workers across the state.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Maine legislature
Feb 23, 2021
J.B. Pritzker:
Universal broadband access by 2024
Telecommuting, telehealth, remote learning, videoconferencing--this pandemic laid bare the need for reliable broadband across the state. Fortunately, in 2019, working with the General Assembly, I prioritized broadband with the most aggressive vision
for high speed internet in the nation. At least $50 million in additional state matching grants will be awarded this year, making substantial progress on our goal of universal access in 2024.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Illinois legislature
Feb 17, 2021
Jim Justice:
Do everything we can to blanket state with broadband
We made some really, really bold steps for broadband, did we not? West Virginia is deficit on broadband beyond belief. We need to do any and everything we can to blanket our state with broadband. It will make us better and
better and better, and the opportunities just abound everywhere. It is the next highway construction project. We absolutely have fed dollars now pouring in, and we have real progress in broadband, but we got to do more. That's just all there is to it.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to West Virginia legislature
Feb 10, 2021
Bill Lee:
One-time investment of $200 million in broadband expansion
I have proposed record investments in broadband since becoming Governor, and I am grateful for the legislature's support on this issue. But I am ready for us to solve this issue once and for all. A significant, one-time investment, combined
with significant private investment, will get broadband to just about every community in Tennessee. To help us achieve our goal of every Tennessean having access to high speed broadband, my budget recommends an investment of 200 million dollars.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Tennessee legislature
Feb 8, 2021
Greg Abbott:
Broadband not a luxury; it's an essential tool
From medicine to education to business, broadband access is not a luxury--
it is an essential tool that must be available for all Texans. That's why I am making the expansion of broadband access an emergency item this session.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Texas legislature
Feb 2, 2021
Kay Ivey:
$500 million investment over three years to expand broadband
Another place where COVID-19 exposed a weak link in our state's infrastructure was in the area of broadband and internet connectivity. Just last week, I partnered with
C-Spire for their $500 million dollar investment in Alabama over the next three years. This investment will provide broadband to one hundred thousand homes and businesses in our state and create 250 jobs.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Alabama legislature
Feb 2, 2021
Mike Parson:
$5 million investment to expand and improve broadband
We must capitalize on Missouri's strategic location in the center of the nation and build on the opportunity to become a powerful logistics hub not only for the Midwest and the United States, but for all of North America. We are very excited about the
new shipping technology that could create a corridor straight through Missouri into the heart of the country. This is why we are calling for a $6.3 million dollar investment in shovel-ready projects at Missouri's established ports.
When we talk about infrastructure, we often think about transportation but equally important is access to high-speed broadband. We have made great strides in the past few years. However, 2020 exposed many digital gaps, highlighting the importance of
ensuring high-speed internet in all areas of Missouri which is why this year, I am once again asking for a $5 million dollar investment to expand and improve broadband services across the state.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Michigan legislature
Jan 27, 2021
John Carney:
Provided 25,000 low-income students with internet access
In Kent and Sussex counties, we have made it a priority to expand access to highspeed broadband and eliminate internet deserts. In the past year, we expanded wireless broadband to over 500 Delawareans. That number continues to grow each week.
The Department of Education and DTI partnered to create the Connect Delaware program. Through this program, we provided over 25,000 low-income students with reliable internet access.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Delaware legislature
Jan 26, 2021
Michelle Lujan-Grisham:
$200 million for high-speed internet is urgently needed
The pandemic has reminded us that New Mexico cannot wait any longer to invest in reliable high-speed internet for all in our state. I call on the Legislature to commit at least half of their capital outlay allocations to new broadband investments, some
$200 million. This is the most urgently needed infrastructure investment we can make as a state. And we must make it. Together we must put in place this essential building block and avow our unequivocal faith in New Mexico's economic future.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to New Mexico legislature
Jan 26, 2021
David Ige:
Hawai'i 2.0: we must pivot to a digital economy
The pandemic has accelerated economic trends that were already underway. They include the rise in remote work and the demand for digital skills. The pivot to a digital economy will serve as a foundation for our economic resilience. In a digital
economy, it doesn't matter where your workstation is located, Hawai?i's workforce can compete globally. I am calling for the creation of a program of action to not just reboot but to upgrade our economy. To create a Hawai?i 2.0, if you will.
I can assure you that broadband will be a priority for the state in the coming years. Part of our task is to make sure that a student in Nanakuli can access an online lesson plan as easily as a student in Kahala--and that, in a digital Hawai?i,
everyone's connected. Likewise, with an FCC grant, we will support a telehealth initiative to connect low-income patients with high medical risks to healthcare providers. DHHL will receive at least $30 million in federal funds to benefit Native Hawaiians
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Hawaii legislature
Jan 25, 2021
Tate Reeves:
$100 million in statewide broadband expansion
Access to the internet is an essential service just like our electricity. Our kids need it to participate in class, our businesses need it to connect to customers, and our communities rely on it to provide services to their people. My budget invests
over $100 million in broadband expansion statewide, with a focus on providing access to communities that have been disproportionately impacted during the pandemic, and ensuring every single school across Oregon is connected to the internet.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Oregon legislature
Jan 21, 2021
Tate Reeves:
Broadband expansion could mend the urban rural divide
This could be a bridge that helps Oregon mend the urban rural divide. And the disparities in access aren't just a problem here, but across the country.
The Biden-Harris administration can help unite this unnecessary division, especially in the west, by providing federal funding for broadband expansion.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Oregon legislature
Jan 21, 2021
Eric Holcomb:
Additional $100 million to boost broadband connectivity
We've distributed $61 million to K-12 schools and higher education institutions to improve remote learning during the pandemic.
But connectivity is just as essential for workers, entrepreneurs, and farmers.
Our Next Level Broadband program to date will provide access to more than 21,000 homes and businesses, including health clinics, fire departments and police stations.
The additional $100 million I'm requesting will enable us to continue making progress, bringing improved speed to all corners of our state for all Hoosiers.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Indiana legislature
Jan 19, 2021
Peter Ricketts:
Bring broadband coverage to every corner of the state
We must continue to invest in better community connectivity through broadband internet. It's no secret that many Nebraskans still do not have access to broadband. Senator Friesen, Speaker Hilgers, and I are proposing that we invest
$20 million in each of the next two years to help another 30,000 households get broadband connectivity. This will move Nebraska closer to bringing broadband coverage to every corner of the state.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to Nebraska legislature
Jan 14, 2021
Tony Evers:
Ongoing investment in rural broadband expansion
This pandemic highlighted many challenges maybe none more-so than the critical need for high-speed internet access. That is why I'm proud to announce that we're including $20 million for this fiscal year and $10 million per year moving forward to
boost access to rural broadband grants so local leaders can continue a growing and vital partnership with the private sector and quickly improve internet access for the people of rural Georgia.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to Georgia legislature
Jan 14, 2021
Laura Kelly:
Established Kansas's Office of Broadband Development
I signed an Executive Order establishing Kansas's first Office of Broadband Development--and through it, we've distributed nearly 50 million dollars in Connectivity Emergency Response Grants, to communities like Spring Hill, Valley Center, Dodge City,
Topeka, Derby and others.We have to keep pushing on this issue. It needs to be a bi-partisan push. Because access to high speed internet will be a game changer for these communities.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Kansas legislature
Jan 13, 2021
Ralph Northam:
Broadband is as critical now as electricity in 1900s
We need to take action on broadband. Broadband is as critical now as electricity was in the last century.
Making sure more Virginians can get access to it has been a priority since I took office. And the pandemic has highlighted how urgent this is--for workers, for businesses, for students, for telehealth.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Virginia legislature
Jan 13, 2021
Asa Hutchinson:
$30 million to expand high-speed internet into rural areas
I'm also asking for support to expand high-speed internet into more rural areas of our state. We have to reduce the digital divide. We have to provide education fairly in all areas of our state. And it takes high-speed internet to do this and so much
more from improving the quality of life to attracting businesses and entrepreneurs. I've set aside $30 million for this purpose in our proposed budget. If we can, let's do more, it is such a great need for our state.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Arkansas legislature
Jan 12, 2021
Kim Reynolds:
$450 million for statewide high-speed broadband by 2025
There are a few big issues that we can begin to address tonight. The need for universal broadband is one of them. I'm done taking small steps and hoping for big change. Let's plant a stake in the ground and declare that every part of Iowa will have
affordable, high-speed broadband by 2025. We'll get there by committing $450 million over that time period, which will leverage millions more in private investment, giving Iowa the biggest buildout of high-speed internet in the country.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Iowa legislature
Jan 12, 2021
Kristi Noem:
Finish connecting the state with broadband
I am proposing that we invest to finish connecting the state with broadband. Even the most remote communities across our state should be provided the tools they need to be connected. There are still 135,000 South Dakotans without high-speed broadband
access that meets the needs of the 21st Century. A state investment, coupled with industry funding and federal grants, is enough to get the job done.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to South Dakota legislature
Jan 12, 2021
Phil Murphy:
We're closing the digital divide for schoolchildren
The digital divide was real long before COVID hit our state. In 2021, no child should be denied access to all the educational opportunities of the online world. An estimated 230,000-plus students -- almost entirely from disadvantaged households--lacked
either the laptops or internet accessibility, or both, for remote learning. So we got to work closing that digital divide, and, today, 95% of those students have the tools they need, and we're close to getting the outstanding gap to zero.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to New Jersey legislature
Jan 12, 2021
Tony Evers:
Declares 2021 to be Year of Broadband Access
This pandemic has underscored--and in some ways, exacerbated--the digital divide that exists across our state. This pandemic has shown us that lack of access to high-speed internet continues to be a setback for kids, families, and businesses across our
state. So, I'm excited to declare 2021 the Year of Broadband Access. My 2021-23 biennial budget will invest nearly $200 million over the biennium into broadband--that's five times the amount invested in the 2013, 2015, and 2017 budgets combined.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to Wisconsin legislature
Jan 12, 2021
Andrew Cuomo:
Broadband internet must be accessible and affordable
Today broadband discriminates by race and income. We have invested $500 million to successfully expand broadband access and 98% of the state now has access to broadband. New York will lead the nation in making broadband affordable, because
accessibility is not enough if it's not affordable. Without affordable broadband, people are not just disconnected, they are disenfranchised. Broadband must be available to everyone, everywhere. And in New York we will make sure it is.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the New York legislature
Jan 11, 2021
Doug Burgum:
Essential to invest in protecting the data of our citizens
We can provide citizen-focused service by investing in IT to replace or upgrade our three severely antiquated mainframes, which in one now well-publicized case forced us to hire programmers from Latvia because no one else in the world still worked with
systems that old. And given the persistent threat of foreign national cyberattacks, such as the current SolarWinds attack, it's essential that we make investments to protect the data of our citizens.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to North Dakota legislature
Jan 5, 2021
Page last updated: Feb 24, 2022
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