Saturday, November 6, 2021
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House Passes $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill
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President Joe Biden's Statement on Passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Broadband Infrastructure
Broadband Infrastructure
The US House of Representatives passed a $1 trillion bill on November 5 to rebuild the country’s aging public works system, fund new climate resilience initiatives, and expand access to high-speed internet service, giving final approval to a central plank of President Joe Biden’s economic agenda after a daylong drama that pitted moderate Democrats against progressives. For President Biden, the passage of the infrastructure bill fulfilled a marquee legislative goal that he had promised to deliver since the early days of his presidency: the largest single investment of federal resources into infrastructure projects in more than a decade. In a late-night vote that followed a day of near-death experiences for Biden’s agenda, the House passed the infrastructure measure on a 228-to-206 vote.
Included in the bipartisan infrastructure bill is a commitment of $42 billion to deploy broadband where it doesn't yet exist. Where broadband is available, it promises another $14.2 billion to create a permanent $30-a-month-subsidy program to help low-income Americans afford service. The bill offers an additional $2.75 billion for digital equity and inclusion efforts, which could end digital redlining, the practice of internet service providers avoiding lower-income areas where they don't think they'll make money. A vote for the Build Back Better Act was put back on hold, with a half-dozen moderate-to-conservative Democrats withholding their votes until a nonpartisan analysis could tally its price tag. Progressives accepted a written commitment from five centrist colleagues that they would back the social safety net and climate package in mid-November, as long as the numbers add up.
Statement by President Joe Biden on House Passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
"The United States House of Representatives passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a once-in-generation bipartisan infrastructure bill that will create millions of jobs, turn the climate crisis into an opportunity, and put us on a path to win the economic competition for the 21st Century," stated President Biden. "It will make high-speed internet affordable and available everywhere in America." The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal will deliver $65 billion to help ensure that every American has access to reliable high-speed internet through a historic investment in broadband infrastructure deployment. The legislation will help lower prices for internet service and help close the digital divide, so that more Americans can afford internet access. "I’m also proud that a rule was voted on that will allow for passage of my Build Back Better Act in the House of Representatives the week of November 15," said Biden. "I look forward to signing both of these bills into law."
President Joe Biden will sign the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law soon. In the broadband infrastructure, adoption, and affordability sections, Congress has included some critical language that lays the foundation for the broadband future we are about to embark upon. Congress lays out a critical set of challenges, principles and goals that every state and local policymaker, every community leader, and every broadband provider should embrace and evangelize. At this critical moment in time, Congress has given us a call to action—and we should do our part to maximize the success of these new programs. Congress, for all of its foibles, has passed a broadband bill that isn’t just about connecting computers to the internet, connecting investment with community need, or connecting people with broadband, this historic law is focused squarely on connecting every American to a whole new generation of opportunity. So as we begin to implement this bill, let’s keep these words in mind… let’s make sure we make good use of this investment, rise up to this challenge, meet this moment, and make sure that we wisely tackle the critical challenges that Congress identifies.
For the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society and our allies working to bring open, affordable, high-performance broadband to all people in the US, this renewed and updated Congressional commitment to universal service is astounding. This really is our broadband moment—and Congress has stood up, recognizing broadband's essential role in modern life and providing the foundation to ensure everyone has affordable access. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is about more than money. It is about commitment. It is about the value of connection. Let's seize this opportunity to make the US more equitable and more just.
[Adrianne B Furniss is the Executive Director of the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.]
One aim of the new Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is to ensure that every American has access to reliable high-speed internet service. Here we begin a multi-part series looking at the major broadband-related provisions of the legislation. First up: over $42 billion for broadband deployment grants to the states. We look at why new broadband maps are so critical to these efforts, what the grants can be used for, the process for states to receive the support, and a timeline moving forward. The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has six months to create the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program to support projects to construct and deploy broadband networks. Congress has allocated $42.45 billion for the program which will prioritize the expansion of broadband in rural areas and states that rank below other states on broadband access and deployment.
[Kevin Taglang is the Executive Editor at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.]
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will not just build broadband networks, it aims to ensure that every American can use reliable high-speed internet service. The Digital Equity Act of 2021 allocates $2.75 billion to the states for digital inclusion planning and the implementation of those plans. Key definitions of digital equity, digital inclusion, and covered populations are included in the new Digital Equity Act. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act also created the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program and the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program. The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration will make grants to states to ensure states have the capacity to achieve digital equity and support digital inclusion. The State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program promotes digital equity, supports digital inclusion activities, and builds capacity for efforts by states relating to the adoption of broadband. Congress has allocated $1.5 billion for the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program. The purpose of the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program is to support efforts to achieve digital equity, promote digital inclusion activities, and spur greater adoption of broadband among covered populations. It totals $1.25 billion in funding, with $250 per year in fiscal years 2022-2026.
[Kevin Taglang is the Executive Editor at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.]
Provisions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provide a new funding mechanism to improve middle-mile infrastructure and make it easier to deliver broadband in currently unserved and underserved areas. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will create a program that makes grants on a technology-neutral, competitive basis to eligible entities for the construction, improvement, or acquisition of middle-mile infrastructure. The twin purposes are to 1) encourage the expansion and extension of middle-mile infrastructure to reduce the cost of connecting unserved and underserved areas to the backbone of the internet and 2) promote broadband connection resiliency through the creation of alternative network connection paths that can be designed to prevent single points of failure on a broadband network. To achieve these goals, the law creates a middle-mile grants program at the NTIA. Congress has allocated $1 billion for these competitive grants, available until September 30, 2026.
[Kevin Taglang is the Executive Editor at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.]
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act not only provides the means to make broadband service more available by funding deployment of broadband middle-mile and last-mile networks, it also aims to make the service provided more affordable so more people can subscribe and use it. The law allocates over $14 billion to a revised program at the Federal Communications Commission that will subsidize services for low-income households. It requires broadband service providers to reveal more service information, including pricing, to consumers as they compare plans. And it takes unprecedented action against digital redlining which has led to unequal broadband access due to income, race, and ethnicity.
[Kevin Taglang is the Executive Editor at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.]
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Congress has allocated many billions of dollars to states, territories and Tribal lands to extend the reach of broadband, including over $42 billion in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. In February 2021, a bipartisan group of senators (1) introduced the Telecommunications Skilled Workforce Act, legislation to address the shortage of trained workers necessary to fill jobs in the telecommunications industry in communities throughout the country. The bill won praise from NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, the Wireless Infrastructure Industry, NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, USTelecom, CTIA, and the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association. The Telecommunications Skilled Workforce Act is included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The law calls for an official estimate for the number of skilled telecommunications workers needed in the US, a collaborative effort to craft recommendations addressing workforce needs, and guidance on how states can help.
[Kevin Taglang is the Executive Editor at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.]
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will facilitate more work to improve broadband service on Tribal lands. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 established a $1 billion grant program at the US Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration to support broadband connectivity on tribal lands throughout the country. The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program provides grants to expand access to and adoption of broadband service on Tribal Lands or programs that promote the use of broadband to access remote learning, telework, or telehealth. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act offers enhancements to the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program so it can better aid in the delivery of broadband to some of the areas with the worst connectivity in the country.
[Kevin Taglang is the Executive Editor at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.]
Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org) and Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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