US President Donald Trump on Monday (January 8) signed executive orders to make it easier for the private sector to locate broadband infrastructure on federal land and buildings, part of a push to expand high-speed internet in rural America.
Faster internet speeds in rural areas have long been seen as key to addressing the economic divide between rural and urban America, but the costs have so far been prohibitive.
About 39 percent of rural Americans lack access to high- speed internet service, the Federal Communications Commission said in a 2016 report.
The White House described the moves as an incremental step to help spur private development while the administration figures out what it can do to help with funding, something that could become part of Trump’s plan to invest in infrastructure.
