Senators Announce Major Bipartisan Legislation to Bridge Digital Divide

Sens Michael Bennet (D-CO), Angus King (I-ME), and Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced major bipartisan legislation to provide $40 billion in flexible funding to states, Tribal governments, US territories, and the District of Columbia to bridge the digital divide. The Broadband Reform and Investment to Drive Growth in the Economy (BRIDGE) Act of 2021 (S.2071) would provide states with the resources and flexibility to deploy “future-proof” networks able to meet communities’ needs in the 21st century, and to support local initiatives to promote broadband affordability, adoption, and inclusion, among other efforts.

The BRIDGE Act would:

• Provide $40 billion to States, Tribal Governments, and U.S. Territories to ensure all Americans have access to affordable, high-speed broadband.

• Prioritize unserved, underserved, and high-cost areas with investments in “future proof” networks that will meet the long-term needs of communities while supporting efforts to promote broadband affordability, adoption, and digital inclusion.

• Encourage gigabit-level internet wherever possible while raising the minimum speeds for new broadband networks to at least 100/100 Mbps, with flexibility for areas where this is technologically or financially impracticable.

• Emphasize affordability and inclusion by requiring new broadband networks to provide at least one low-cost option for low-income families.

• Increase choice and competition by empowering local and state decision-making, lifting bans against municipal broadband networks, and allowing more entities to compete for funding.