The American Samoa Telecommunications Authority has been awarded a grant of more than US$81 million to improve broadband access in the territory.
The funding comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The telecommunications authority is also obtaining a US$10 million loan from the United States Department of Agriculture for the same project and is itself putting up US$4.4 million.
The funding will replace an old, deteriorating legacy copper infrastructure, with a more robust and weather-durable fiber optic network that will link the main islands of American Samoa, making it possible to provide broadband services to every household, business, and critical institution in the region.
The American Samoa Telecommunications Authority project was among 22 broadband infrastructure projects selected for funding from across the United States.
