Broadband Stimulus Cut

Bloomberg is reporting that an agreement on a stimulus package has been reached in the Senate.  Included in the compromise was the decision to strip $2 billion in broadband funding for rural areas.  The Senate version of the bill originally included $9 billion in funding for broadband expansion in unserved and underserved areas.  The key here is that Bloomberg refers to the removed $2 billion as funding to “promote broadband.”  So it is still entirely unclear what remains in the bill regarding broadband. It’s entirely possible that $7 billion remains in the bill for broadband infrastructure, and the $2 billion removed was simply for marketing and education regarding broadband expansion.

More to follow as the details emerge…