Later coverage shows the program moving from a national funding commitment to implementation: a state-by-state allocation of the $42.5 billion deployment program and subsequent rural project awards turned the initiative into a geographically targeted buildout.
First-order effects
Biden's administration makes high-speed access a named infrastructure priority and proposes $100 billion over eight years, giving states and broadband providers a federal funding target around which to plan projects.
The proposal establishes the administration's negotiating position; Congress ultimately reduced the broadband amount to $65 billion in the infrastructure package.
Second-order effects
The lower enacted total forces deployment priorities toward the programs and locations selected for funding, rather than the full scope implied by the original proposal.
States become central allocators of broadband capital as federal deployment funds are divided geographically, while rural projects compete for later grant and loan rounds.
Third-order effects
Broadband policy is shifting from a one-time national access pledge toward a grant-administered infrastructure system in which state allocation and project awards determine where buildout occurs.
If the funding model persists, broadband expansion will be shaped less by a single federal headline total than by repeated state-level distribution decisions and rural project financing.
The trend: US broadband access is being treated as public infrastructure, with federal commitments translated into state allocations and targeted rural deployment awards.
Because satellite doesn't reach the last mile (geographically & topographically), is vulnerable to cyberattacks, and is subject to central points of failure as all top-down comms. Satellite is not an end-all, be-all comms stack. We need bottom-up mesh networks as well. https://tw…
This is a good reminder as well that there are new forms of connectivity coming. These solutions may be more cost effective and provide better service than traditional options in some cases. A light touch approach encourages competition and enables innovative options. https://twi…
Biden's “Build Back Better” plan is a good step but $2 trillion over 8 years is peanuts relative to what must be done to rebuild infrastructure, catch up with the Chinese on critical technologies, and stop climate change.
This proposal will make once-in-a-generation investments in the American people. Rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure means building a better future for our children. I look forward to working with the Biden administration to get these priorities across the finish line. https:…
The pandemic has made clear the social & economic costs of underinvestment in broadband infrastructure. I'm very excited to see broadband investment prioritized in the #infrastructureplan. https://www.theverge.com/...
“a generational opportunity to fundamentally shift how countries around the world tax corporations” and this is how to do it https://papers.ssrn.com/... https://www.whitehouse.gov/...
.@POTUS' #AmericanJobsPlan will create millions of good-quality jobs, fix highways and transit systems, deliver clean drinking water and more #ForThePeople. This is a bold and imaginative investment in our future. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
This is $820 per U.S. household. A Starlink terminal costs $499. How about we just buy a Starlink terminal for every household that wants one and doesn't have access to fixed broadband? Would save $80B. https://twitter.com/...
$1,200 per year for broadband isn't going to help rural people and Starlink won't work in forests and there is cost to scale and the tech isn't even proven and SpaceX has no support infrastructure and https://twitter.com/...
“I'm convinced that if we act now, in 50 years people will look back and say, ‘This was the moment America won the future.’ ” While 🇪🇺 might bemoan its irrelevance, realizing it was too timid in crucial times out of overblown debt and inflation worries. https://www.washingtonpost…
We will look back at Universal Internet Access as one of the smartest and cost-effective policies to tackle poverty, health disparities, achievement gaps, job reskilling and more. https://twitter.com/...
The Biden infrastructure plan would allocate more than $200 billion to build and upgrade 2 million affordable, sustainable homes. In the UK, we are still smarting from the govt's decision to axe the $1.5bn Green Homes Grant program. What a week. https://www.whitehouse.gov/...
Addressing infrastructure, climate, & environmental justice together to create millions of good paying jobs is the right combination to meet America's challenges I'll work with @POTUS to pass a big, bold bill to drive America forward for decades to come https://www.vox.com/...
One slice of this proposal that shouldn't be missed: As @kellymakena notes, Biden's 100% broadband coverage commitment prioritizes networks affiliated with local governments + nonprofits over corporate giants. A touch of anti-trust regulation found its way into the jobs plan! htt…
what does biden consider an acceptable upload speed? why won't the white house say? are they afraid of offending the gamers? https://www.theverge.com/...
1 striking thing about the ultimate Biden infrastructure plan released today is it's even more deficit averse than I suggested — WH saying ~$2T in spending will be paid for in full with new tax hikes on businesses. Surprise to many observers https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... ht…
there's been some pressure on the FCC by senators like @MichaelBennet to increase base broadband speeds. will be interesting to see if anything changes over the next few weeks https://www.theverge.com/...
Biden plan now out. Some promises: — EV stations nationwide — Replace every lead pipe — Universal clean drinking water — 2M homes retrofitted or built — Universal affordable high speed broadband by 2030 — Fix 20K miles of roads/bridges PRO Act included https://www.washingtonpost.…
President Biden will begin selling his $2 trillion infrastructure plan today in Pittsburgh, saying it would fix 20,000 miles of roads and 10,000 bridges, while also addressing climate change and racial inequities and raising corporate taxes. Details: https://www.google.com/...
Biden infrastructure plan talks about broadband like the Electrification Act of 1936. Promises ongoing affordability and choice for consumers. If passed, this is going to be quite a journey: https://www.whitehouse.gov/...
since the money would be going toward projects over the next 8 years, i asked if the president supported increasing minimum broadband speeds — no answer, just that Biden believes everyone should have access to the internet https://www.theverge.com/...