WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan met virtually with New Hampshire leaders on Friday morning to discuss how the Senate’s pending infrastructure bill would benefit the state.

Panelists detailed plans to universalize broadband access, prepare the electrical grid for renewables and revitalize the Granite State’s roadways and economy.

“As you all know, we have all been working on this bipartisan infrastructure bill,” Hassan said. “It is at the core of setting a strong foundation for future economic growth.”

She gave a “snapshot” of the $1 trillion package that she helped negotiate before turning the conversation over to the panelists.

Carole Monroe serves on Dublin, N.H.’s broadband committee.

“We really do need to get that last house on the last road. … It’s taken a long time for us to consider broadband as infrastructure,” she said.

Right now, the bill allocates over $42 billion to expand broadband access to remote rural communities through public-private partnerships. New Hampshire will receive a minimum of $100 million. Additional funding will subsidize monthly internet bills for low-income families.

According to White House data, over 13% of households in Sullivan County do not have internet access and more than 10% of households do not have a computer, smartphone or tablet. In Grafton County, broadband access is marginally better but similar.

Across the border in Orange County, Vermont, nearly 17% of households cannot access the internet.

The bill is expansive, and if passed, also would fund an improved power grid. Sam Evans-Brown, director of Clean Energy New Hampshire, said the state needs a modern electrical grid to deploy renewable energy that has become dramatically more affordable with new technology. The bill includes a $73 billion investment in clean energy transmission

The proposed “Grid Authority” would help site thousands of miles of new power lines to move electricity across state lines from sites where it is cheapest to generate. Within the state, he said, the priority is creating a flexible grid that can capture the “distributed resources in each of our homes.”

He added that electric vehicle drivers “want to know that they will be able to access a charge on road trips” and described New Hampshire as a “gaping hole” in EV charging in New England. The bill includes funding to create the first national network of EV chargers.

Jay Minkarah, of the Nashua planning commission, discussed the need to improve the state’s infrastructure in the face of increased weather extremes.

“It’s really critical that we make these investments and we make these investments at a time when we know that vulnerability is only increasing,” he said.

The American Society of Engineers gave New Hampshire’s infrastructure a C-minus and designated nearly 13% of the state’s bridges “structurally deficient” in 2017.

Further funding will help the state clean public water contaminated with lead and PFAS, increase coastline resiliency and build a passenger rail line connecting cities in southwestern New Hampshire to Boston.

Sen. Hassan said that the Senate will hold “a vote to end the amendment process and move forward to a final vote” as early as Saturday. Although there may be still further amendments, she said, “we’re getting close to final passage.”

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not only invest in New Hampshire and our country today,” she said, “but really built (the) platform for 21st century innovation and leadership.”

Claire Potter is a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at cpotter@vnews.com or 603-727- 3242.