President Trump’s infrastructure plan has no dedicated money for broadband

President Donald Trump's new 10-year plan for "rebuilding infrastructure in America" doesn't contain any funding specifically earmarked for improving Internet access. Instead, the plan sets aside a pool of funding for numerous types of infrastructure projects, and broadband is one of the eligible categories. Broadband would be eligible for funding from a proposed $20 billion Transformative Projects Program, along with transportation, clean water, drinking water, energy, and commercial space.

President Trump's plan would also add rural broadband facilities to the list of eligible categories for Private Activity Bonds, which allow private projects to "benefit from the lower financing costs of tax-exempt municipal bonds." The plan would also let carriers install small cells and Wi-Fi attachments without going through the same environmental and historical preservation reviews required for large towers. "With a comparatively paltry investment from the federal government over ten years—less than one-tenth of 1 percent of GDP—and no dedicated funding for rural broadband, the Administration’s plan falls far short in resources, leaving many communities behind," said Rep Mark Pocan (D-WI).