内华达州在联邦截止日期临近之际，撤回了5200万美元用于改善农村地区宽带接入的疫情救助资金，这对全州范围内安装高速互联网的努力是一个打击。
ERIC NEUGEBOREN/The Nevada Independent Nevada has pulled $52 million in pandemic relief funds aimed at improving broadband access in rural areas as a federal deadline looms, a blow to efforts to install high-speed internet statewide.
距离该州必须花掉其27亿美元疫情救助资金还有大约三个月，周四，州立法者被告知，负责宽带扩建的承包商Stimulus Inc.认定，将无法在该截止日期前完成帕ahr姆地区的某些连接。
There are about three months left until the state must spend its $2.7 billion in pandemic relief funds, and Stimulus Inc., a contractor working on the broadband expansion, determined it would be unable to complete certain connections in the Pahrump area by that deadline, state lawmakers were told Thursday.
这意味着帕ahr姆地区的部分地区将不会纳入正在进行的宽带建设。此外，Stimulus原本计划将帕ahr姆项目作为枢纽，向其他地区扩展宽带，因此该努力也面临不确定性。
It means that parts of the Pahrump area will not be part of the ongoing buildout of broadband. Additionally, Stimulus was planning for the Pahrump project to serve as a hub to build broadband out elsewhere, so that effort is also in doubt.
该州尚不清楚哪些具体地点将被视为“未覆盖”，尽管预计帕ahr姆北部将受到特别影响。
The state does not yet know the exact locations that will be considered “unserved,” though northern Pahrump is expected to be particularly impacted.
“这是一个艰难的决定，”负责监督该项目的州长办公室科学、信息和技术办公室（OSIT）主任布里塔·阿佩尔说。“这确实是基于整体情况做出的。”所有疫情救助资金必须在今年年底前花完——这是联邦政府确保资金被使用的一项要求——州官员此前曾表示有信心宽带资金将被全额花完。
“This was a decision that was a challenging decision to make,” said Britta Appel, the director of the Governor’s Office of Science, Information and Technology (OSIT), the agency overseeing the project. “It was really based on the totality of the circumstances.”All pandemic relief funds must be spent by the end of the year — a requirement from the federal government to ensure the money is used — and state officials previously expressed confidence that the broadband dollars would be spent in full.
被撤回的资金占原本用于宽带扩建的2亿美元以上疫情救助资金的四分之一以上。这5200万美元已被重新分配到多个项目，包括支持监狱中的心理健康护理、一项应对粮食不安全的州级计划，以及该州增加多户住房开发的努力。
The pulled funds represent more than a quarter of the more than $200 million in pandemic relief dollars originally designated for broadband expansion. The $52 million has been redirected to multiple programs including supporting mental health care in jails, a state program to combat food insecurity and the state’s efforts to increase multifamily housing development.
内华达州（以及全国各地）的农村地区长期以来一直在为高速互联网接入而苦苦挣扎，落后于城市中心。
Rural areas in Nevada (and across the country ) have long struggled with high-speed internet access, lagging behind urban centers.
内华达州多年来一直在努力扭转局面，但过程可谓一波三折。该项目的大部分资金来源于2021年拜登政府推出的“宽带公平、普及与部署计划”（BEAD）。不过今年早些时候，特朗普政府大幅削减了内华达州可获得的项目资金。
Nevada has engaged in a yearslong effort to right the ship, but it has been tumultuous. A significant portion of the funding is coming from the 2021 Biden-era Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. The Trump administration earlier this year significantly reduced Nevada’s slice of the project.
由于该州的宽带建设计划涉及多个资金来源，且曾遭遇联邦政府突然撤销资金拨款等波折，阿佩尔表示目前尚无法确定这些地区何时以及以何种方式实现宽带网络覆盖。
Because of the complicated nature of the state’s efforts — which relies on multiple funding sources and has faced bumps in the road, such as sudden federal rescissions of funds — Appel said it’s unclear when and how these areas might see broadband buildout.
不过，州政府官员长期以来一直坚信这些宽带建设资金能够按时投入使用。
However, state officials have long expressed confidence that the broadband dollars would be spent on time.
“我们能否在2026年12月31日前完成这些项目？答案是肯定的，”时任州信息技术服务办公室主任布赖恩·米切尔去年10月这样说道。今年4月，阿佩尔也对议员们表示：“我对项目的顺利实施充满信心。”然而在周四举行的州临时财政委员会会议上——该委员会由议员组成，负责在立法机构休会期间决定资金分配事宜——拉斯维加斯市民主党议员霍华德·瓦茨批评了州政府领导层态度的转变。
“Are we going to be able to get these projects done by Dec. 31, 2026? The answer is yes,” then-OSIT Director Brian Mitchell said last October. In April, Appel told lawmakers that “I have confidence in this, as far as its ability to get done.”At Thursday’s meeting of the state’s Interim Finance Committee — a panel of lawmakers that makes funding decisions when the Legislature is not in session — Assm. Howard Watts (D-Las Vegas) criticized that change in tune from state leadership.
“我的不满情绪有一部分是针对州信息技术服务办公室，尤其是前任领导层。我认为他们低估了我们陷入当前这种局面的风险，”他说道。其实早在几个月前，一些预警信号便已出现。
“Part of this frustration is aimed at OSIT, and particularly at previous leadership that I think downplayed the risks of us ending up in this exact situation,” he said. But warning signs were flashing a few months ago.
在8月份的委员会会议上，Stimulus公司首席执行官内森·惠塔克暗示，项目的部分环节可能无法按时完成。由于华盛顿州发生火灾，获取电线杆的工作出现延误；此外，新出台的特许经营协议要求也导致项目推迟了约一个月。
During the committee’s August meeting, Nathan Whittacre, the CEO of Stimulus, hinted that some parts of the project would not finish in time. There had been delays in securing utility poles because of fires in Washington, and a new requirement for a franchise agreement delayed the project for about one month.
阿佩尔称，Stimulus公司在竞标部分BEAD项目资金时，原本设想以帕赫鲁普地区作为枢纽，进而向周边农村地区推广宽带服务。目前该公司正在重新评估相关竞标方案。
Stimulus had also bid for certain BEAD funding with the understanding that the Pahrump project would serve as a hub to expand broadband to nearby rural areas. The company is in the process of reviewing those bids, Appel said.
阿佩尔表示，帕伦普地区还有机会在第二轮BEAD资金分配中获得拨款，但这一结果尚不确定。
There is also an opportunity for the Pahrump region to receive money as part of a second round of BEAD funding allocations, Appel said, but there’s no guarantee that this will happen.
“情况一直模糊不清，”瓦茨说道，“这实在令人沮丧——我们清楚宽带服务必将受到影响，却不知道具体影响程度及发生时间。” 本文最初由《内华达独立报》发布，后通过美联社合作渠道传播。
“This has been clear as mud,” Watts said. “It’s again very frustrating because we know that there’s going to be impacts to broadband access to our communities, but we don’t know what they are or when.”This story was originally published by The Nevada Independent and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.