HB71 authorizes the use of the broadband development subaccount funds to provide the state’s share of matching funds required to receive federal funds under any federal broadband program, including the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program established by the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The Wyoming State Senate passed HB71 on February 28, 2024 by a vote of 19 to 12. We have assigned pluses to the nays because government-subsidized internet predominantly benefits specific segments of the population by allowing the government to pick winners and losers. Such subsidies are a step towards socialism and increased government interference in the free market. Additionally, the federal government has no constitutional authority to engage in broadband policy, and Wyoming must not legitimize this unconstitutional usurpation.