Biden cuts broadband plan from $100 billion to $65 billion to match GOP offer

Enlarge / President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Thursday, May 13, 2021. (credit: Getty Images | Bloomberg)

President Biden has cut his broadband-deployment spending proposal from $100 billion to $65 billion, matching the lower amount proposed by Republicans. But Republicans still object to Biden's overall infrastructure spending plan and have consistently opposed the municipal broadband networks that Biden wants to prioritize in government-funded projects.

Biden "agreed to reduce the funding request for broadband to match the Republican offer and to reduce the proposed investment in roads, bridges, and major projects to come closer to the number proposed by the senators. This is all in the spirit of finding common ground," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday during a media briefing.

Biden made the $100 billion broadband proposal on March 31 as part of his larger American Jobs Plan, saying the multi-year funding would pay for "'future-proof' broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas so that we finally reach 100 percent high-speed broadband coverage."

Read 9 remaining paragraphs | Comments