Back in September 2021, I wrote an article, Rural Broadband May Soon Get a Boost, about the bipartisan infrastructure bill which was being debated in Congress. The Infrastructure and Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was passed in November of 2021.
This bill — the first since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that advanced communications technology was examined on such a large scale — approved $65 billion to extend broadband networks to those who don’t have access or cannot afford broadband service. The Covid 19 pandemic exposed the lack of reliable internet access in many rural and other underserved communities. This bill is an opportunity to reduce the “digital divide” that exists in the United States and expand access to advanced communications to many Americans…
