The government has launched a new effort to upgrade America’s technology. This time it's for access to high-speed Internet. It’ll cost a pretty penny, but if they can follow through it should be a big benefit, right?
Here are Five Fast Facts on big bucks for broadband:
- 🚫 The Problem - Only about 7% of Americans do not currently have broadband Internet (at least 25Mbps download, 3Mbps upload). That’s almost 9 million homes and businesses that can’t effectively watch YouTube! 😱
- 💰 The Proposal - The White House is planning to invest $42 billion in an initiative over the next seven years to expand access to broadband. At least this time spending your tax money might actually do something useful (and help people watch lots of cat videos)!
- ⚡ The Effort - The plan is being compared to the 1930s-era effort to reach all of America with electricity. The end goal will be a great benefit, but so will the process to get there, with hopefully a lot of homegrown jobs and manufacturing along the way. #fingerscrossed
- 💲🔥 The Funding - A massive infrastructure law passed a couple years ago set aside a huge chunk of money for this program, and now politicians want to start making it happen. Got a hole burning in the pocket, apparently.
- 📈 The Numbers - Every state will get at least $100 million, and US territories will get at least $25 million. The final number is based on population, size, and current access to broadband. The top three are Texas ($3.3 billion), California ($1.9 billion), and Missouri ($1.7 billion). Can I be a state…?
🔥Bottom line: The Internet is a staple of modern American life now, so it’s great to see an effort to improve it for all Americans. The catch is, as always, that it’s going to cost a LOT of taxpayer money!
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