Colo. Sen.: Tap Infrastructure Money for Progressive Policies
States should use “mind-blowingly huge” broadband dollars from the recently signed infrastructure law as a “hook to really do transformative change,” said Colorado state Sen. Kerry Donovan (D) at a livestreamed NewDEAL annual conference Thursday. The author of Colorado’s net…
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neutrality law advised colleagues in the progressive state and local leaders group that rather than “write a policy that just says, here’s how we’re going to spend the dollars,” they can “address structural flaws that you’ll never be able to pass again if you don’t have the dollar figure tied to that policy.” That’s because the telecom industry “is one of the most challenging, well-resourced lobbying groups to ... take on,” she said. Government must step in where businesses won’t go, even if they won’t yet admit they won’t, said Florida state Sen. Loranne Ausley (D). “Now we have the money." Don’t exclude industry from talks, she cautioned: “I tried to get things done without bringing the industry to the table. It can’t be done.”