Investment in broadband comes at right time

One of the more ridiculous fights in Washington, D.C., is about the definition of infrastructure. Long viewed as big capital projects — roads, bridges, power lines, dams — the Republican Party wants to claim President Joe Biden’s proposal to invest trillions in crumbling U.S. infrastructure defines the problem too broadly.

Here’s what the dictionary says. Infrastructure (noun): “The basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g. buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.”

The definition within the second parenthesis — buildings, roads, power supplies — would seem to back up criticism that Biden is going too far in his proposal, which he proposes to pay for mostly by increasing the corporate tax rate to 28 percent from the 21 percent locked in by Trump’s 2017 tax bill.

His $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan includes significant investments in building broadband, shoring up caregiving networks, spending on research and science, fixing lead-based water pipes, providing affordable housing and other nontraditional infrastructure expenses.

Go back to the dictionary definition, though. Just what are the “organizational structures” necessary to operate society?

No working parent can navigate the demands of a job without decent and affordable child care. The same is true for folks with aging parents. It’s difficult to concentrate on the tasks at hand when worried about an elderly parent’s short- and longterm health.

The shift to remote work and school during the pandemic showed in real time how important quality child and senior care is — but it also underscored why building up the broadband system across the nation might be the most important investment Biden is proposing.

Going remote to work or study is all well and good — if an affordable, high-speed internet connection is available. As we saw in New Mexico, too many workers and students lacked the access necessary for them to complete homework or job assignments. Even in Santa Fe, internet can be spotty and unreliable.

In fact, the federal government is estimating 22 percent of New Mexicans live in areas without broadband with acceptable internet speeds. Almost 70 percent of people live where there is only one internet provider. The digital highway so necessary to contemporary life does not exist in too many parts of New Mexico.

Making sure high-speed broadband is available to all who need it is an important investment in the nation’s future. It most certainly is infrastructure.

For New Mexico, the federal government’s desire to invest in digital projects could not come at a better time. During the recent legislative session, lawmakers set aside $133 million for broadband, money that will help access federal dollars to create a bigger investment. A new office inside the Department of Information Technology will develop a broadband plan, another necessary component to receiving federal funds.

Done right, this could harness federal and state spending — and perhaps private investments — in a systematic, logical manner so broadband access improves across the state. We cannot flourish without it.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has estimated that from all sources — even before the infrastructure package kicks in — almost $1 billion will be available for broadband. The price tag to link the entire state could be as high as $2 billion to $5 billion, but $1 billion is a decent start.

For us, there is no debate. Broadband is infrastructure, and making it accessible and affordable is essential to the future.

And if, while doing so, the United States secures roads, bridges and ensures children are no longer drinking lead-laden water, we would call it a good day’s work. Don’t debate the meaning of infrastructure. Pass this legislation — yes, there is room for compromise and adjustment — and invest in the important work of rebuilding the United States of America.