Broadband infrastructure funding could be 'life-changing,' advocates say

Since President Joe Biden signed the $1 trillion infrastructure act into law last week, state broadband officials have expressed optimism that its $65 billion in broadband funding can close their digital divides for good. Though many states have dedicated hundreds of millions of dollars in CARES Act and American Rescue Plan funding over the past year to expand broadband access, broadband advocates and state lawmakers have spoken out in the past week with words of encouragement for their unserved communities, assuring that this new investment will finally enable states to reach 100% connectivity. The infrastructure plan requires each state receive an initial investment of $100 million for expanding broadband infrastructure. “I think it’s even on the scale of rural electrification,” Jennifer Harris, a program director for a public-private broadband advocacy group in Texas. “I think it’s really on that scale that it really is going to be life-changing for the folks that don’t currently have that connectivity."