12 Days of Broadband

12 Days: Biden’s Signature CHIPS Act Spurs Investments and China Concerns

On the one year anniversary, the White House touted investment of one-hundred-and-66 billion dollars.

Drew Clark

Dec 27, 2023 — 5 min read

Illustration by DALL-E

December 27, 2023 — August 2023 marked the one year anniversary of President Joe Biden’s signature law, the CHIPS and Science Act. On that occasion, the White House touted $166 billion dollars of new semiconductor investments and manufacturing projects into the United States.

As both Biden and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo have been quick to note, American ingenuity invented the semiconductor. But today, the U.S. currently produces only 12 percent of the world’s supply, none of which are the most advanced. This is down from 40 percent in 1990.

The 12 Days of Broadband 2023 (click to open)

On the First Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:
One Artificial General Intelligence
On the Second Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:
24 Reverse-Preemption Pole Attachment States (2023 edition)
On the Third Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:
$3.6 Billion Funds Remaining in the Affordable Connectivity Program
On the Fourth Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:
4.8 Million Challenges to Broadband Coverage Data
On the Fifth Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:
56 States and Territorial Broadband Offices Implementing BEAD
On the Sixth Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:
One-hundred-and 66 Billion Dollars of American Semiconductor Investment
On the Seventh Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:
7 Layers to the Open Systems Interconnection Model and Open Access Networks
On the Eighth Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:
The Number 8 As a Representation of Balance, Justice and Fairness
On the Ninth Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:
93 Percent Match of Federal Funds for Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Program
On the Tenth Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:
Nearly 10 Months Without FCC Spectrum Auction Authority
On the Eleventh Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:
More Than 11 Years in Lawsuits Over Net Neutrality
On the Twelfth Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:
12 Year Olds (and Older) Having to Age-Verify on Social Media

The CHIPS Act provides $52 billion to incentivize chip companies to build factories in the U.S., aiming to reduce reliance on Asia for the crucial components used in everyday electronics. Over the summer, during the one-year anniversary, Biden administration officials touted investment commitments from companies like Micron, IBM and Wolfspeed.