The government has announced guidelines for spending $4 billion to expand high-speed internet access across the country. The initiative is the first part of a total of $7.2 billion earmarked for expanding the nation's broadband internet networks, which is included as part of the $787 billion stimulus package.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Vice President Joe Biden said the money was the start of a push to bring the internet to all communities across the country. The government is currently accepting applications for grants, which will be awarded near the end of the year.
Greater internet penetration is undoubtedly a positive sign, but there are some catches. According to The Washington Post, the guidelines for grants set the minimum speed for new networks at 768 kilobits per seconds, which is not fast enough to download picture files or watch streaming videos. In all likelihood, this would still leave some users unable to access the elements of some major interactive campaigns.
