Senate Democrats confront ‘digital divide’ in new bill

On Wednesday, a group of Senate Democrats introduced a bill in their latest effort to help close the “digital divide” and fund state and local broadband deployment projects.

The Digital Equity Act of 2019, introduced by Sens. Tina Smith (D-MN), Patty Murray (D-WA), and 2020 presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), would create two new grant programs aimed at building equal access to telecommunications technologies, primarily in underserved rural areas across America.

The first grant fund would be an annual $120 million program that would fund the creation of comprehensive “digital equity plans” individualized for states to help determine the best course of action to provide access in their communities. The second would create a…

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