This is why the GOP will never pass a decent infrastructure bill

A recent FCC decision is a sign of things to come

Internet access is just as important as road access.
(Image credit: Ikon Images / Alamy Stock Photo)

The Federal Communications Commission recently decided to roll back internet subsidies for poor households. The nuts and bolts of what happened are a little complicated. But it helps illustrate why President Trump is going to have a hard time living up to his promises to revitalize America's infrastructure.

At issue is a program called Lifeline, which has provided low-income Americans a subsidy to buy mobile services for over 30 years. Back in March 2016, the FCC decided to expand Lifeline to apply to purchases of internet and mobile broadband services. The three Democratic and two Republican commissioners who made up the FCC at the time were working on a compromise decision that would've put a $1.75 billion annual budget cap on the program. But the deal fell apart, and the FCC approved the program with a higher annual cap of $2.25 billion on a 3-to-2 partisan vote.

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Jeff Spross

Jeff Spross was the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He was previously a reporter at ThinkProgress.