How the infrastructure package could fix rural America's internet problems

Many rural areas across the US lack access to high-speed, affordable internet largely because installing the infrastructure isn't worth the investment for internet service providers to take on. The unprecedented amount of federal funding for broadband included in the recently signed infrastructure law aims to fix the digital divide in a different way than the government has tried before. It will put money into the hands of communities that may know how to best address the issue. Each state will get at least $100 million to disburse over the next five years through grants to local communities with a plan to expand internet access to their homes and businesses. The funding will target three major barriers to adoption: the cost of building the infrastructure, the user fees charged to households and people's familiarity with using the technology. There are many challenges facing communities wishing to expand broadband access. They must first survey residents to nail down how many people are not served by the existing network. Then they decide what kind of system would be best -- DSL, fiber or wireless -- and who will build, own and operate it. However, funding has always been the biggest hurdle.