A $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill could improve rural broadband

A $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill being discussed in Washington could improve broadband availability, particularly in rural areas. Here’s how:

A new investment in rural broadband—about $2 billion per year—would help fill the gap created by the existing delay in federal broadband deployment. The investment would come from existing federal funds, while the investment in wireless broadband would come from wireless spectrum policies, which are far more prevalent in rural areas.

—about $2 billion per year—would help fill the gap created by the existing delay in federal broadband deployment. The investment would come from existing federal funds, while the investment in wireless broadband would come from wireless spectrum policies, which are far more prevalent in rural areas. The extra investment would pave the way for rural broadband to become as ubiquitous as broadband Internet in metro areas.

The increase in broadband financing would reduce a shortcoming that has plagued the U.S. broadband marketplace: there is currently a premium on nationwide coverage, even as the number of internet access points for each person on the internet has dropped drastically.

Rural internet access costs 14 times more than in the urban area of the same community.

Windfarms and other energy generation facilities can serve as competitive providers for the next 20 years.

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