Infrastructure Bill Money Will Help Push Universal Broadband Goal Within Five Years: Rep. Clyburn

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2022 – Representative James Clyburn, D-S.C., predicted that the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act will help get internet into every home in America within the next four to five years.

The IIJA, passed into law in November 2021, allocates $65 billion to building out broadband infrastructure and closing the digital divide. The infrastructure bill was touted by President Joe Biden as a vehicle to connect the entire country by 2030.

The bill itself does not provide a concrete timeline as to when this goal would be achieved, but various government officials, including Clyburn, have made promises to the American people that it could come sooner than some may expect.

“In five years, I think this going to be a successful venture,” said Clyburn. In addition, for this to work, he said he believes that including the private sector is what will really “allow us to build internet in every home, every business, within four to five years.”

Clyburn’s Rural Broadband Task Force, created in 2019, consists of a group of House Democrats working to close the digital divide within the next five years, according to his website.

Beside accurate maps, additional funding from the infrastructure bill is one pillar outlined in the task force’s requirements for widespread broadband deployment: “Investments must be made for both today and the future,” the website adds.