Cable Providers Scoff at Obama's Plan to Get Every Child Online

President Barack Obama may face pushback from Comcast and other cable providers on his plan to wire rural areas for high-speed Internet access. The biggest companies, including Comcast and AT&T, probably won't take part in the plan unless lawmakers provide more money for installation of costly broadband lines and drop speed and access requirements, said Robert Atkinson of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation. "As the bill is currently structured, the companies that provide 90 to 95 percent of broadband won't be applying for these grants," said Atkinson, who leads the Washington-based think tank. "It's just not a good trade-off for them." The House of Representatives approved $6 billion in funding for the Internet buildout, while the current version of the Senate bill allocates $9 billion. Even smaller providers, such as SureWest Communications, say that won't cover the cost of building to remote areas or ensure that enough customers sign up to justify the expansion.