Pressure Builds for Infrastructure Outlays

Business and labor groups are ramping up a lobbying campaign to persuade President-elect Barack Obama and the next Congress to back a huge boost in infrastructure spending in an effort to create jobs and kick-start economic growth. Telecommunications firms want tax breaks to expand broadband service. The lobbying push comes as a broad economic-stimulus bill with $13 billion of transportation spending appears headed for a defeat in Congress this week. Advocates of infrastructure spending are seizing on everything from rising unemployment to last year's bridge collapse in Minneapolis to argue for outlays for various projects.