In a 69-30 vote, the Senate has passed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) to fund physical infrastructure projects and programs across the country, and the bipartisan package includes $65 billion for broadband initiatives. The bulk of the broadband funding is in the $42.45 billion for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, which will send at least $100 million to each state and be administered by NTIA. Additionally, the bill allocates $1 billion to funding middle mile projects and $2.75 billion for digital equity programs. The bill changes the name of the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program to the Affordable Connectivity Program, making the program more permanent and allocating $14.2 billion to the program. The bipartisan bill will now be sent to the House.
