WashingtonTimes: Rural America is eager for high-speed internet under a $42.5 billion federal modernization program, but not a single home or business has been connected to new broadband networks almost three years after the presidency. Biden signed the funding into law, and no projects will start until next year.
Much of the problem lies in the accumulation of a multitude of progressive elements in any government program, including:
• Preference for hiring unionized workers, rare in certain rural areas.
• Require providers to prioritize “certain segments of the workforce, such as people with criminal records,” when building broadband networks.
• Require eligible entities to “consider not only current (climate-related) risks, but also how the frequency, severity, and nature of these extreme events may plausibly change as our climate continues to change over the coming decades.”
If this sounds familiar, remember my article on Rebuilding the Key Bridge better (note the date).
By the way, the FCC believes that 7.2 million locations, that is, homes and businesses, do not have access to broadband. 42.5 billion dollars is enough to offer all 7.2 million sites a 4-year subscription to Star link (7.2 million locations * $120 per month * 48 months = $42.7 billion), and I’m sure Elon would give us a discount, so I didn’t include the installation fee. Of course, the FCC decided that Starlink was not eligible for the program citing “SpaceX’s failure to successfully launch its Starship rocket.” Note that the FCC made its decision in 2022, years before the program was rolled out.
