Last week, House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-South Carolina) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) reintroduced the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act which would invest $94 billion into expanding broadband infrastructure and connecting Americans. Such an investment marks one of the most expensive and ambitious broadband packages proposed in recent years and gives preference to projects that help rural and tribal areas or those that provide better, cheaper Internet to lower-income communities. The legislation would also add an extra $2 billion to the $7 billion in funding for the E-Rate program that was included in the American Rescue Plan which President Biden signed into law on Thursday. The E-Rate program helps schools and libraries buy Wi-Fi hot spots and routers, devices that have only become more essential during the pandemic.
