Biden Announces $40B for High-Speed Internet Investment

Facts

• President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced on Monday their plans for how nearly $42.5B in funds for the bipartisan Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment program will be divided among states and territories. This is part of the US federal government’s single-largest investment in high-speed internet access ever.¹
• The funding will go towards efforts aimed at improving internet access in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and US territories — especially for 8.5M households without access to high-speed internet service.²
• The funding, which was authorized as part of Biden’s 2021 bipartisan infrastructure package, will be distributed proportionally amongst states based on need with each state receiving at least $100M. Monday's allocations are based on recently-revised broadband maps.³
• A senior Biden admin. official claimed that the investments would create "over 150,000 construction-type jobs, from laborers to electricians to communications workers."²
• States will be required to submit proposals detailing how they would use the funds to improve internet access in jurisdictions with challenged connectivity by the end of the year.⁴
• The project is part of a larger push by the Biden admin. to push economic policies ahead of his 2024 reelection campaign, dubbed "Bidenomics" by some.⁴

Sources: ¹StateScoop, ²ABC News, ³Verge, and ⁴Forbes.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by Huffington Post. Lack of access to high-speed internet is a real issue for Americans in many parts of the country. Internet access is no longer a luxury, but rather a must-have in the modern world, and this program will ensure access in previously underserved areas. Biden plans to rebuild America's economy by focusing on the lower and middle classes — Bidenomics is about making resources like the internet a precious part of the public commons.
• Republican narrative, as provided by Forbes. Biden is planning his reelection campaign as his approval rating drops and more and more Americans lose faith in his handling of the economy and his ability to do his job. "Bidenomics" has resulted in rampant inflation and economic uncertainty and proves that government intervention isn't the ultimate solution to complex problems.

Predictions