Biden’s new infrastructure plan looks to promote local internet and broadband for everyone

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As part of the Biden administration’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan, Biden and company are looking to dedicate $100 billion of that to help deliver broadband internet to all homes in the US.

What makes this interesting, is that it seems that the focus isn’t on throwing more money at the giants like Comcast who fail to deliver time and time again. Instead, according to a new fact sheet, it seems the emphasis is on propping up locally-owned businesses and those working with local governments.

Some senators have already been pushing for higher internet speeds, as the pandemic has shown that many parts of the country are simply not equipped for modern internet demands. The quality of America’s infrastructure is lacking, with the Biden administration stating, “The United States of America is the wealthiest country in the world, yet we rank 13th when it comes to the overall quality of our infrastructure.”

Telecom giants have spent ridiculous amounts of time and money trying to maintain their stronghold in 21 different states, as reported by Vice. With Biden’s new plan, the hope is to “promote price transparency and competition among internet providers, including by lifting barriers that prevent municipally-owned or affiliated providers and rural electric co-ops from competing on an even playing field with private providers.”

The infrastructure plan also looks to make internet providers more transparent about their prices. In addition, Biden wants to expand on recently-implemented subsidies for low-income households in an effort to get fast internet into more people’s homes.

While all of this is great on paper, time will tell if anything will actually happen or if any changes made actually help normal citizens.

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