The future of broadband and fiber as infrastructure

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocates $65 billion to broadband infrastructure spending, with approximately $47 billion of this dedicated to building networks. The PEW Charitable Trust recently stated that the broadband component of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act "represents a historic moment in national broadband policy; the size and scope of the proposed investment acknowledge the challenges at hand and how critical high-speed Internet access is to ensure America's economic future. The COVID-19 pandemic, which forced millions to work, attend school, and conduct much of their lives online, has driven home the fact that fast, reliable and affordable broadband is a key component of the nation's infrastructure." Fiber broadband has proven to have an immediate and long-lasting impact on communities, adding to local GDP, increasing home values and creating high-paying jobs. We now have the window to create an unprecedented level of opportunity for anyone with a computer and fiber broadband connection. As the House manages conflicting priorities and deadlines, the need to pass the infrastructure bill must transcend party politics and posturing as it benefits all Americans – those that desperately need the digital divide to close, and the rest of us that will benefit from their contributions once they can enter the globally connected marketplace.

[Gary Bolton is President and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association.]