What’s Missing from the Infrastructure Bill’s $65 Billion Broadband Plan?

President Joe Biden’s proposed multibillion-dollar Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes $65 billion in broadband spending. The bill doles out about $42 billion in grants to states to build out broadband infrastructure, improve broadband maps, or increase broadband adoption programs. It also expands an existing program to help people with lower incomes pay for broadband service and requires internet service providers who take this federal money to offer lower-cost options. The infrastructure bill, if passed as is, will require new broadband projects to provide 100 Mbps of download speed and 20 Mbps of upload speed. But the infrastructure bill falls short of providing what some advocates say is necessary: “symmetrical” upload and download speeds. Under the current version of the infrastructure bill, each state would receive $100 million. States have to submit a plan to explain what they’ll do with that money, but it might be used to award subgrants to internet service providers (like companies) or, if they exist, municipal broadband projects (more on that later). It might also be used for mapping projects or other programs aimed at increasing broadband adoption. States that have the worst broadband availability issues will receive additional sums.