Digital divide fix at risk as $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill stalls

As Democrats in Congress wrestle over President Joe Biden's multitrillion-dollar package targeting everything from roads to child care, hanging in the balance is a small but critical sliver of the infrastructure bill seen as a possible salve to our digital divide problem. This legislation provides long-overdue funding to upgrade traditional infrastructure, such as roads, bridges and electrical grids. But also included in the bill is a proposal for $65 billion in federal funding for broadband investment. President Biden, who sees both pieces of legislation as essential to his Build Back Better domestic agenda, says it will happen. But some fear that a stalemate that results in the House not voting on the bipartisan infrastructure bill will fritter away a once-in-a-generation opportunity to finally close the digital divide, an issue that has dogged policymakers for decades. Blair Levin, lead author of the 2010 National Broadband Plan under former President Obama, says that even if the broader infrastructure bill ends up without a House vote, efforts to solve the digital divide will not entirely die with it. He is hopeful that a separate bill could be carved out just to support broadband and closing the digital divide. "There is so much bipartisan consensus on the need for getting more people online," he said. "I think if a deal can't be struck, there will be pressure on Democrats to do something with the broadband portion of the infrastructure bill." He added that Republicans would likely support it. "This is one of the most popular provisions of the infrastructure bill. I haven't heard a single policy objection." But, he said, "It's not likely to happen quickly."