Business View Civil and Municipal | September 2022

35 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 energy were factors to Meta’s decision to choose Kuna. Business investments like these are key drivers in making Idaho’s economy among the strongest in the nation. With this growth and a steady flow of businesses expanding or locating to Idaho, the state has continued to make strategic investments in many areas such as broadband and cybersecurity. In 2020, Idaho Commerce awarded over $38 million to fund 83 broadband expansion projects across Idaho. These projects funded improvements or expanded service to more than 30,000 households throughout the state. Last year, the Idaho Broadband Advisory Board awarded $10 million in CARES Act funding to fund 13 additional broadband projects, impacting nearly 2,400 households. Broadband infrastructure investments will advance service and offer speed improvements for unserved and underserved areas across Idaho, enhancing telework, public safety, education and healthcare access in rural Idaho and beyond. These investments are only the beginning of improving broadband access across Idaho. In today’s digital environment, cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility. Nearly every American consumer and business is connected to the global internet. That means the probability of cybersecurity attacks is enormous and growing. Idaho has already begun preventative measures to ensure that businesses, citizens and organizations have the toolbox of skills they need to protect themselves from cyberattacks. In August 2021, Governor Brad Little created the Governor’s Cybersecurity Task Force to focus on promoting improved business, government and personal cybersecurity. The task force was comprised of 19 members representing key Idaho institutions and co-chaired by Idaho Department of Commerce Director Tom Kealey and Idaho National Laboratory Associate Lab IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE The Bliss broadband project, pictured, connected around 250 households in 2020. Idaho leads the nation in economic growth, with GSP and employment growing each year.