Although the govt has pledged to assist expand high-speed broadband access in communities that require it, officials got to expand the eligibility criteria, consistent with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR). President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law in March. It directs the Department of the Treasury to distribute billions of dollars in stimulus funding to local and state governments.

Those funds are often wont to improve broadband access, but the bill severely limits the eligibility criteria for such projects. The bill says that only unserved or underserved communities can use the federal funding to enhance broadband access, because the Verge notes. consistent with the Federal Communications Commission, communities with internet speeds of under 25 Mbps down and three Mbps up are underserved. 

That definition has remained an equivalent since 2015. Wyden says those speeds aren’t nearly fast enough for current needs, calling that benchmark “woefully outdated.” He wants communities where speeds are but 100 Mbps up and right down to be classed as underserved and to be eligible for upgraded internet infrastructure under this plan.

 “The mass adoption of video calling, streaming, and other bandwidth-intensive apps by Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that miserly speeds and data caps are holding back telework, remote education and telehealth capacity,” Wyden wrote during a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. “Simply put, it’s impossible for a family of 4 to telework and have interaction in remote schooling while sharing 3 Mbps of upload bandwidth.” Wyden went on to argue that a failure to deal with concerns “will further expand the digital divide and jeopardize our ability as a nation to create back better from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Therefore, as you finalize the Coronavirus State and native Fiscal Recovery Funds Final Rule, I urge [Yellen] to clarify that underserved locations include anywhere affordable, reliable broadband of a minimum of 100 Mbps symmetric isn’t available.” Wyden added that “to be accessible, broadband must even be affordable.” Other lawmakers are pushing the FCC to upgrade the definition of high-speed broadband to 100 Mbps up and down.

 Earlier this month, California announced a budget plan that earmarked $9 billion for internet infrastructure, noting that “service at speeds below 100 Mbps isn’t enough for households who are juggling the stress of distance learning, telework, and accessing health care online.”

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