Idaho communities large and small will benefit from federal infrastructure spending

The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was signed into law in November. This act will strengthen Idaho communities, create local jobs and boost our entire state’s economy, while supporting the continued growth we are seeing across the state in responsible, sustainable ways.

Credit needs to be given to Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch for supporting this important legislation, which invests in Idaho’s critical hard infrastructure priorities. Altogether, the IIJA provides $1.9 billion of investments to repair and upgrade Idaho’s roads and highways, as well as another $225 million for bridge construction and maintenance.

These efforts will help enhance and modernize our aging road infrastructure, will improve the quality of life for Idahoans, and will help spur jobs and drive more investments in local communities, businesses, and economies. However, the benefits of this legislation do not stop there.

The IIJA also invests $100 million of federal funds to build out and expand broadband networks across the state. Taken together with the nearly $100 million in state revenues from 2020-2021 allocated to broadband expansion, these investments will help my city and the entire state continue to ensure all Idahoans have access to fast, reliable broadband connections regardless of where they live — whether it is in our largest city or smallest town.

Ammon is no stranger to the positive impact of broadband investment. Our city boasts one of the most sophisticated fiber networks in the nation because we have made broadband part of our public infrastructure. In doing so, we have been able to foster greater competition among internet service providers in order to offer residents and local businesses faster speeds, better performance and lower prices than what is offered in cities twenty times our size.

Continued investments in broadband as part of Idaho’s larger infrastructure will help cities large and small across the state — particularly in our many rural communities — to develop their own broadband infrastructure. And, from personal experience, broadband can have a profoundly positive effect on these economies over the next decade. This is another reason the IIJA will be good for Idahoans and our entire economy.

Moreover, the investments that the IIJA will make in Idaho will help tackle an array of other key issues, such as addressing long-overdue water infrastructure concerns, preparing for wildfires and other natural disasters, and expanding our clean energy technologies and resources to help support a more sustainable future for Idaho communities.

While Senators Crapo and Risch were critical in helping to pass the IIJA, they wisely continue to oppose the Build Back Better Act (BBB) — the massive boondoggle spending bill being pushed by some legislators in Congress. The distinction between the IIJA and BBB should not go unnoticed — the former is an investment in America’s core infrastructure needs paid for without tax increases, while the latter is a veritable laundry list of social programs, the funding of which is still unclear.

The infrastructure investments in the IIJA supported by our Idaho senators will greatly benefit our state and entire country. Idaho communities will be stronger and better off economically as a result.