Eshoo introduces bill to promote broadband deployment

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) introduced a bill Tuesday aimed at lowering the cost of deploying broadband Internet lines to people's homes. 

The legislation requires states to include plastic pipes when they lay federal highways so that Internet lines can be installed more cheaply. 

Eshoo, the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Communications subcommittee, cited a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) finding that broadband is not being deployed in a reasonable and timely way — a conclusion that major companies have disputed — in her justification for the bill. 

"This legislation is a creative approach to more rapidly deploy broadband service, promote competition and do so with limited federal dollars," Eshoo said. "This 'dig once' policy would expand broadband at a fraction of the cost by including the conduit as roads are being built."

Eshoo's office cited a Federal Highway Administration study that said it is 10 times more expensive "to dig up and then repair an existing road to lay fiber, than to dig a channel for it when the road is being built or repaired."

The cable industry commended Eshoo for introducing the bill. 

National Cable and Telecommunications Association chief executive Michael Powell said: "We applaud Rep. Eshoo for introduction of the Broadband Conduit Deployment Act of 2011, which will facilitate the further deployment of broadband service throughout the U.S. We look forward to working with the Rep. Eshoo and other policymakers on creative solutions to lower the cost of broadband deployment so that every American can benefit from this important service."

Eshoo also had the support from various House Democrats when she introduced the bill.