Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy signed House Bill 193 on March 27, which increases state funding to improve internet speeds at public schools, primarily in rural areas. The bill raises the state funding match for federal grants, ensuring schools can upgrade from 25 megabits per second to 100 megabits per second. This initiative addresses past challenges where inadequate speeds required schools to ration internet access, impacting students’ online learning. The legislation, costing up to $40 million annually, was rushed through to meet a federal deadline, following the failure of a broader education funding bill.
