Democratic Senators Push $40 Billion in Direct Broadband Infrastructure Funding

Democratic senators are promoting the $40 billion broadband investment from their May 2017 LIFT America Act in a new trillion dollar infrastructure plan released March 7 in the wake of President Donald Trump's plan to invest $200 billion and hope the private sector leverages that into a trillion dollar-plus investment. 

Unlike the Trump infrastructure plan, which includes no direct broadband investment, the Democratic Sens say they want the government to invest $40 billion in direct funding to connect everyone to "affordable" high-speed broadband. "While the private sector has delivered high-speed internet to many, millions of Americans in less profitable rural and urban areas have been left out," said the report. The plan is to fund a new Universal Internet Grant Program to close the 'last mile' gap. The priorities for the fund would be bankrolling "adequate, affordable high-speed internet" where it is most needed, upgrading plant where "reasonable," leverage federal money, use taxpayer money reasonably, "tackle" the tribal broadband gap, create accurate maps of internet access, deliver competitive speeds, upgrade 911,