push is on to include broadband funding in administration's infrastructure bill

Members of the Senate Broadband Caucus want to see increased funding for broadband construction in President Trump’s soon-to-be revealed infrastructure plan.
 
The bipartisan group, which includes two Democrats, two Republicans, and one Independent, says increased funding for broadband infrastructure would particularly help rural area of the country.
 
“Prioritizing direct funding support for broadband deployment in an infrastructure package will help close the digital divide and ensure our country maintains its global competitiveness,” the caucus said in a statement.
 
According to sources, the Administration’s plan is expected to call for up to $1 trillion in overall infrastructure funding, but how much of that figure would go specifically to broadband construction isn’t known yet.
 
A Federal Communications Commission report issued in 2016 said that some 34 million Americans in mostly rural areas continue to lack access to high-speed internet.

By Garry Boulard