2019 Outlook: Lawmakers Gird for Broadband Infrastructure Fight

Lawmakers head into 2019 intent on bringing high-speed internet to underserved communities across the country, an issue that may see bipartisan action in a divided 116th Congress.

Democrats and Republicans alike want to close the digital divide between rural and urban America. A federal broadband plan would create opportunities for wireless carriers such as AT&T Inc., cable providers such as Comcast Corp., cell tower companies, and others to expand into new areas.

“Any infrastructure package in the next Congress should include an expansion of broadband,” House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in an emailed statement. Hoyer said he and ...