More Federal Money For Broadband?

Speaking at the Brookings Institution Tuesday on jobs creation and economic development, President Barack Obama indicated the government will make additional efforts in broadband infrastructure. He proposed a boost in investment in the nation's infrastructure beyond what was included in the Recovery Act, to continue modernizing communications networks. Even though Recovery Act broadband network projects will not be ramping up for a couple of months, the President there are many more worthy projects than there were dollars to fund them. He said "the need for jobs will also last beyond next year and the benefits of these investments will last years beyond that. So adding to this initiative to rebuild America's infrastructure is the right thing to do." The White House indicated support for merit-based infrastructure investment that leverages federal dollars. The Administration supports financing infrastructure investments in new ways, allowing projects to be selected on merit and leveraging money with a combination of grants and loans.