President Biden said the $1.2-trillion infrastructure package negotiated with senators on Wednesday will “deliver high-speed internet to every American home” as well as repairing or rebuilding roads and bridges nationwide. The White House said the framework included $65 billion for broadband infrastructure.
The package would also provide $109 billion for roads and bridges as part of an overall $312 billion in new spending on roads, rail, waterways, and air transportation. The $65 billion for broadband is two-thirds of what the president originally requested.
Earlier this year, Biden proposed a more expansive, $2 trillion infrastructure package that included $100 billion for broadband. More than 30 million Americans live in areas where there is no broadband infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable service speeds.
At the White House, Biden said the agreement with a bipartisan group of senators “will create millions of American jobs and modernize our American infrastructure.” The package “will deliver high-speed internet to every American home, bringing down the price that people pay for internet service. And they’ll close the digital divide.”
The president said he would work with Democrats to pass the remainder of the $2 trillion package he proposed in March.
The White House fact sheet on the infrastructure framework is available here.