Broadband Plan in U.S. Could Cost $350B

Implementing a national broadband plan could cost up to $350 billion, for both wired and wireless networks.

That’s according to the group of people at the FCC who are forming a national broadband strategy, as tasked by Congress, to be unveiled next February. The panel issued a preliminary report on Tuesday and answered questions during the agency’s monthly meeting.

Paying for such a program would require government subsidies and private-sector investment, the report finds. The experts working on the broadband plan said they continue to collect information and are studying effects on consumers. That means no recommendations will be forthcoming until the group issues its final report.