US government wants a greater role in how Americans access Internet

President Biden’s bid to inject government deeper into the private sector is getting its first big test in the broadband industry. Congress on Tuesday advanced legislation that allocates $65 billion in new taxpayer money to expand high-speed internet access for millions of unconnected households—by far the largest allocation of federal funds ever earmarked for broadband. The Senate approved it as part of the broader $1 trillion infrastructure bill passed on Tuesday. The measure still requires House approval, where the path is more complicated.
The legislation would wire communities across the country that companies haven’t reached and subsidize bills for low-income households. Private companies would be required to publish details about their products, much like nutrition labels, and offer low-cost service plans if they take federal funds to help build networks. The legislation recasts broadband service as a necessity, more akin to water and electricity, to which everyone should have access. “It’s a more robust government role in a key part of the economy,” said Bharat Ramamurti, deputy director of the White House National Economic Council…. (Excerpts from Fox Business)