The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday awarded Rhode Island $1.54 million in federal stimulus money to create a map of broadband availability in the state and put together a plan to broaden access.

The grant will go to the R.I. Economic Development Corporation. The agency will spend about $1 million to collect and verify the availability, speed and location of broadband across the state on a semiannual basis over the next two years. The remaining roughly $500,000 will pay for five years of broadband planning activities.