Twitter Thread on the Infrastructure Bill and Broadband Access

Congress is currently hammering out an infrastructure bill that includes a section on broadband. The following Twitter thread from July 23 that provides a response to the broadband section of a recent draft bill that was produced in the course of Congress's ongoing negotiations:

(2) Unfortunately, it appears the latest iteration of the infrastructure bill is more focused on expanding federal regulatory power and control over broadband service rates than on expanding Americans’ access to broadband service.

— Seth Cooper (@CooperFSF) July 23, 2021

(4) The infrastructure bill, part of ongoing negotiating to reach compromise, contains a broadband section that appears to compromise itself. Its regulatory control approach will undermine efforts to expand broadband access. Congress should go back to the drawing board.

— Seth Cooper (@CooperFSF) July 23, 2021

U.S. House Committee Passes "Dig Once" Reform to Boost Fiber Buildout

As reported by John Eggerton at Multichannel News, on June 10, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee favorably reported the National Dig Once Act out of committee as part of the INVEST America Act. The Dig Once Act, writes Eggerton, "would require that the plastic conduit that houses fiber optic cable be included in the construction of any road being built with federal funds in areas without broadband," with broadband providers receiving notice of opportunity to use those conduits. The idea behind the bill is to expedite fiber deployment and reduce the time end expense of multiple excavations.

Leaving aside the other parts of the INVEST America Act, the policy contained in the Dig Once Act is sensible way to promote broadband access to unserved Americans. Hopefully, the 117th Congress will see fit to pass "dig once" reform as a way to promote real infrastructure in the United States. For more on the "dig once" legislation's sponsorship and history, see John Eggerton's report.