“If Congress moves forward with a major infrastructure package, broadband should be included,” said Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, in a speech Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

Pai is proposing an ambitious program whereby the FCC could expand corporate subsidies for building networks while scaling back regulations that, he said, deter private investment. In addition, Pai is asking that Congress offer tax credits to Internet service providers and entrepreneurs who agree to set up shop in “gigabit opportunity zones” that could be as large as a county or as small as a city block.

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“High-speed Internet access, or broadband, is giving rise to what I have called the democratization of entrepreneurship,” said Pai, who in the speech identified broadband as a “core component” of U.S. infrastructure. “With a powerful plan and a digital connection, you can raise capital, start a business, immediately reach a worldwide customer base, and disrupt an entire industry.”

Thus far, broadband has rarely come up as President Trump has touted a $1 trillion infrastructure proposal. His recent remarks to a joint session of Congress, for example, omitted Internet access from his laundry list of infrastructure priorities. In private meetings with advisers, Trump has inquired about auctioning off airwaves to cellphone carriers, which could help mobile data providers upgrade their networks. But reports of those meetings suggest Trump may have been unaware of recent (and historic) FCC auctions that have done just that.

Asked by The Washington Post whether Trump supports Pai's proposals, the administration said Wednesday that Americans should stay tuned. But even that statement failed to directly address broadband.

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“All options are still on the table as the President and his administration continue to build on an infrastructure plan that will revitalize our country’s ruined roads, crumbling bridges, and outdated airports — ultimately creating more American jobs across the country,” the statement read.

Some lawmakers appear committed to including broadband as part of a wider congressional infrastructure bill. Sen. John Thune, the chairman of the powerful Commerce Committee, told reporters recently that he would be open to using FCC funds to encourage the construction of broadband connections where it would otherwise be economically unattractive. And Thune has rolled out his own legislation to shift more airwaves to wireless carriers.