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Hillary Clinton Proposes $275 Billion in Infrastructure Spending, Including Broadband

Accepted submission by takyon at 2015-12-03 19:22:37
Techonomics

U.S. Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has proposed up to $275 billion in infrastructure investment [theregister.co.uk], including investment in broadband:

Hillary Clinton has announced a $250bn plan to build out the United States' broadband infrastructure and ensure that everyone has fast internet access at an affordable price by 2020.

That's the headline figure anyway in her new policy position [hillaryclinton.com] called "Building Tomorrow's Economy Today." In reality, the presidential candidate has pledged to fund a $25 billion dollar "national infrastructure bank" over five years that will cover all infrastructure improvements for roads, bridges, pipes, and internet network.

That bank will provide "up to an additional $225 billion in federally supported investment," according to the policy paper, by leveraging "the $25 billion in direct loans, loan guarantees, and other forms of credit enhancement."

[...] Interestingly however, even Clinton's $25 billion infrastructure bank idea doesn't appear to have been her own. Democratic rival Bernie Sanders has been talking about the US' lackluster networks for some time, noting that the US comes 16th globally in terms of broadband access, and 12th in terms of average speed, according to the OECD. "Today, businesses, schools, and families in Bucharest, Romania, have access to much faster internet than most of the United States. That is unacceptable and has got to change," Sanders says in his policy position on "rebuilding America."

Interestingly, Sanders pledged the exact same figure [berniesanders.com] as Clinton – $5 billion a year – but solely for internet rollout, rather than all infrastructure needs, through an Act of Congress. "The Rebuild America Act will invest $5 billion a year to expand high-speed broadband networks in under-served and unserved areas, and to boost speeds and capacity all across the country. Internet access is no longer a luxury: it is essential for 21st century commerce, education, telemedicine, and public safety," he said.

DSLReports [dslreports.com] calls the promises "painfully ambiguous". Other [theverge.com] outlets [betanews.com] have gravitated to the promises of "smart cities", "free Wi-Fi", "5G networks", and supporting "tomorrow's Internet of Things".

Billions in broadband investment? Hmm, where have I heard that one before [pbs.org]?


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