Fiber ecosystem gets stoked about the infrastructure bill

People involved in the deployment of fiber in the United States are getting pretty excited about the potential $65 billion for broadband in the bipartisan infrastructure bill. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will develop the program to manage and dispense the funding, with consultation from the Federal Communications Commission. Every state and territory will receive at least $100 million, with other money being allocated to the states based on a formula that takes into consideration the percentage of unserved areas in that state. “The money for the broadband projects can’t actually be distributed until the FCC completes its national broadband access maps,” according to Kim Bayliss, principal at DC lobby firm Perry Bayliss, making the FCC's role crucial in getting funding distribution started. The Fiber Broadband Association’s attorney Tom Cohen called the infrastructure bill “historic.” He said, “Right now every year the FCC and the RUS [Rural Utilities Service] give about $10 billion in all their universal service programs. If you look at the infrastructure bill, in effect, that’s going to double the amount that’s given out each year.” Bayliss and Cohen both emphasized the importance of the FCC’s initiative to prepare accurate broadband maps. “The initial gating factor is broadband mapping,” said Cohen.