Broadband Details Spill Out Ahead of Infrastructure Vote

A glimpse into how Senate negotiators may structure the $65 billion in broadband investments the infrastructure package would provide. The draft is likely to fuel renewed advocacy from consumer groups and anyone else hoping for ultra-fast fiber optic buildout, as it instead opts for lower minimum broadband speed thresholds (100 Megabits per second download over 20 Mbps upload would count as "underserved" for the $40 billion tentatively slated to go to the Commerce Department’s state grants, less than the fiber-focused minimums some Democrats wanted). But the draft is just a draft; it’s likely not the final word on broadband. The pages don’t address money for the Department of Agriculture’s rural broadband program, for instance, and policymakers may still be grappling over affordability provisions. (The draft leaves the proposed “low-cost broadband option” undefined.) Although heavyweights like AT&T had hoped Congress would substantially rethink the Federal Communications Commission subsidy model, the draft shows the Senate is at least eyeing changes. Language would have the FCC report to Congress within nine months about including broadband in its universal service mandate, including recommendations for how Congress could help.