Biden promises broadband for all in $2 trillion infrastructure plan – By Marguerite Reardon (CNET) / Mar 31 2021
The president’s plan calls for $100 billion over eight years to ensure every American has broadband access.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday returned to Pittsburgh, where he kicked off his run for the presidency in 2019, to take the wraps off his next big legislative priority — a massive plan to modernize US infrastructure.
The infrastructure package, which will cost $2.25 trillion, includes money for a wide range of projects, from improving and maintaining roads, bridges and waterways to spending $100 billion over the next eight years to deploy broadband throughout rural America, according to the White House on Wednesday. Biden’s plan also promises to reduce the cost of broadband for low-income individuals in an effort to make broadband more affordable.
During his speech at a union hall, Biden talked about the the fact that more than 30 million Americans, including 35 percent of rural Americans, live in areas without any access to broadband. And in urban and suburban markets where broadband is available, it’s often too expensive. This reality hits minority families harder than white families, creating digital inequities. The coronavirus pandemic, which led to shutdowns across the country, made the issues even more apparent, especially for students who struggled to connect to the internet for distance learning.
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