Broadband gets several call outs in the proposed budget released yesterday by the Trump administration. One initiative is endorsed for another year, two are re-promised and one appears to be a response to widespread criticism. Line item figures haven’t been published yet, but even just the overview runs to 150 pages. Details on plans are scarce, but the broadband snippets that were included tell an encouraging tale.
Agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue has bucked the administration’s love fest with big, incumbent cable and telephone companies and pushed for community-based broadband service, particularly via rural electric coops. His department has also adopted a much friendlier attitude toward independent broadband providers in its ReConnect infrastructure grant program. The administration’s budget summary gives him props for that…
The Budget focuses on core Departmental activities such as agricultural research, rural lending, and protecting the Nation’s forested lands and private agricultural lands, while also supporting the Secretary’s efforts to improve services and expand broadband.
The so-called trillion dollar infrastructure program sets aside $200 billion “for other infrastructure priorities”, with “a portion” of it earmarked to…
Promote visionary projects and technologies that can strengthen our economic competitiveness, including 5G wireless communications, rural broadband, advanced manufacturing, and artificial intelligence.
The plan also promises continued efforts to make better use of wireless spectrum and a fresh look at the much criticised broadband data collection and mapping work carried out by the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration…
The Budget supports the application of innovative spectrum access techniques, spectrum sharing technologies, and spectrum leasing options to enable smarter and more efficient ways to leverage the Nation’s valuable and finite spectrum resources. As part of the Administration’s commitment to the Heartland, the Budget funds broadband mapping work to support ongoing efforts to increase the availability of affordable, reliable, and modern high-speed internet access in rural and underserved communities.
On the other hand, nothing is said about the federal government’s primary broadband subsidy program, the Connect America Fund. It’s run by the FCC and is directing billions of dollars to incumbents, much of which will be wasted on replacing rural copper networks with low capacity wireless service.
Presidential proposals are little more than openers in congress’ annual budget game. With spending bills constitutionally required to begin in the democrat-controlled house of representatives, it’s a safe assumption that lots of changes will be made as the process proceeds through the summer.