Reps. Eshoo, McKinley Announce Nationwide Dig Once Act of 2020

Representatives Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and David McKinley (R-WV) announced the introduction of the Nationwide Dig Once Act of 2020, legislation to expand the deployment of broadband internet service to rural and unserved communities across the US. The legislation was adopted by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) as part of H.R. 2, the INVEST in America Act. The Nationwide Dig Once Act of 2020 builds on H.R. 2692, the Broadband Conduit Deployment Act, legislation reintroduced in 20119 by Reps Eshoo and McKinley which mandates the inclusion of broadband conduit – plastic pipes which house fiber-optic communications cable – during the construction of any road receiving federal funding in areas that lack access to broadband internet service. Representative Eshoo first introduced Dig Once legislation in 2009. The Nationwide Dig Once Act of 2020 requires the following:

• Establishes a process for states to notify broadband providers of federally-funded highway construction that may present opportunities for coordinating installation of broadband infrastructure;
• Requires the installation of broadband conduit if a provider has not committed to deploy conduit as part of a federally-funded construction project; and
• Establishes a task force co-chaired by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and the National Telecommunications and Information Administrator to consider and propose methods to fund the nationwide dig once policy.