Biden Says 'Historic' Infrastructure Funding Proposal Coming
President-elect Joe Biden’s proposal for an initial COVID-19 aid package during his administration contains no money specifically set aside for broadband buildouts, though it includes connectivity assistance. He appeared to presage a larger-scale broadband funding request during a Thursday speech.…
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Biden said his planned “second step,” which he will propose to Congress next month, will include “historic investments” in infrastructure. “It’s time to stop talking about infrastructure and finally start building it,” after President Donald Trump’s administration failed to translate interest in the issue into results over the last four years, Biden said. He intimated the proposal would mirror those he unveiled during the presidential campaign that suggested $2 trillion in infrastructure spending, including to allow for “universal” access to broadband and 5G (see 2007140065). Congress allocated almost $7 billion last month for broadband in an FY 2021 appropriations and COVID-19 aid omnibus measure (see 2012210055). Biden’s initial aid tranche urges Congress to “give Tribes the resources they need” to “expand internet access so that children can learn remotely and more families can obtain basic health care through telemedicine.” Biden also seeks $1 billion in Temporary Assistance to Needy Families funding, citing “increased TANF caseloads” amid the pandemic that include “the need for internet access for remote schooling.” The plan proposes additional funding to improve federal IT security, citing Russian government-sponsored hackers’ penetration of federal cyber defenses via vulnerabilities in SolarWinds Orion software (see 2012170050). The proposed outlays include $9 billion for technology modernization fund expansion and $690 million for the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.