HUD proposes broadband infrastructure requirement in HUD housing

US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro proposed a rule to require broadband installation into HUD-financed housing developments during construction and rehabilitation. The aim of the proposed rule is to minimize the costs of installing broadband infrastructure into housing by requiring the installation while construction is already underway, thus removing one barrier to high-speed Internet access.

"By ensuring that future HUD funded properties are broadband ready, we are making long term investments in the 21st century global economy that go beyond modems and laptops,” said Secretary Castro. “We want to give our residents and their children the opportunity to bridge the digital divide by connecting to the world of opportunity.”

Speed Matters has long advocated for federal policies that integrate high-speed Internet into other federal programs to support the needs of communities seeking broadband investment.The proposed rule builds on ConnectHome, the Obama administration’s initiative to extend high-speed broadband to low-income households, to close the homework gap, and to provide more Americans digital opportunity. A partnership between federal programs, Internet service providers (ISPs), and local governments, the program will deliver broadband access to an estimated 275,000 low-income households across 27 cities and one tribal nation.

Links:

Narrowing the Digital Divide through Installation of Broadband Infrastructure in HUD-Funded New Construction and Substantial Rehabilitation of Multifamily Rental Housing (Federal Register, May 18, 2016)

HUD Proposes Rule Requiring Installation of Broadband Technology During Construction of Must HUD-Financed Multi-family Housing (HUD, May 17, 2016)

CWA to White House Broadband Opportunity Council: No favoritism to labor law violators like T-Mobile (Speed Matters, June 15, 2016)

White House initiative will bring broadband to low-income Americans (Speed Matters, July 16, 2015)