High-speed broadband advocate Next Century Cities has asked President Donald Trump and GOP congressional leaders to make incentivizing overbuilds a part of any broadband infrastructure effort and to make sure broadband is part of any infrastructure legislation proposed by the White House or Congress.
That came in a letter to the President, as well as Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).
Next Century Cities represents 62 cities and counties (mayors and local government officials) championing access to broadband, including via municipal buildouts.
"We are eager to have the federal government take steps in an infrastructure package that will truly increase internet access for millions of Americans, and do so in ways that recognize the importance of local leaders in making these lofty plans a reality in our towns and cities across America," they said.
Among the principles they say should be part of "any" infrastructure plan is incentives for "new market entrants and overbuilders" given that they argue the price of connectivity is a strain on budgets and a disincentive to adoption for "far too many Americans."
That puts them at odds with NCTA: The Internet & Television Association, which this week said that any broadband infrastructure plan should fund projects where there is no broadband and have a "zero tolerance policy" for overbuilds.
(Photo via Rock1997. Image taken on Jan. 18, 2017 and used per Creative Commons 2.0 license. The photo was cropped to fit 3x4 aspect ratio.)
