By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 8-9-21
An infrastructure bill with tens of billions for broadband appears both poised for a Senate vote and without the Biden Administration’s explicit focus on affordability or competition as part of the definition of broadband availability. But the bill’s language would appear to allow for determinations of “reliable” broadband that could include more than just sufficient speeds and quality.
According to the bill language, the “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act” would include about $42.5 billion in grants as part of a “Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program” to close the digital divide, with a priority on rural and low-income unserved and underserved areas. » Read More