Gottheimer Announces New Federal Investment from COVID-19 Relief Package for Warren & Sussex Counties to Help Boost Broadband Connectivity
Press Release
oday, U.S. Congressman Gottheimer (NJ-5) announced how Northwestern New Jersey's local communities can utilize the federal dollars from the new COVID-19 relief package -- $20.42 million to the Warren County government, $27.25 million to the Sussex County government, and millions in total to each township and borough -- to invest in improving broadband connectivity for families, students, schools, and businesses.
In addition to the direct federal investment to every North Jersey county and town government, Gottheimer also personally fought to include a $10 billion investment in the new COVID-19 relief package to be divvied up for broadband and infrastructure projects nationwide. The State of New Jersey is expected to claw back $190 million of that investment, as part of that investment, and Gottheimer is urging the Governor to invest some of those resources for broadband improvements in Warren and Sussex Counties.
"I think it's fair to say that we learned a lot -- and were forced to adapt quickly -- when life shut down a year ago, and businesses, schools, and families across our state were forced to quarantine. One thing we all realized pretty quickly was that huge swaths of the country, including far too many communities right near here, were unconnected. Broadband wasn't an option for them -- so, no remote classes, no telehealth, no Zoom meetings. The digital divide and its real impact on our families and businesses couldn't be starker," said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). "Together, with our local mayors and the key internet service providers in the region, we've been fighting this fight for years -- to get all of our communities connected with actual broadband. The American Rescue Plan will help change that, and, working together, I'm confident that we can finally bring connectivity to every corner of the Fifth District. It won't happen overnight, but it will because, as it's been famously said, I still believe in a place called Hope."
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