Smart cities 'doomed from the start' without better broadband

Rep. Diana DeGette, D-CO, said smart city initiatives are "doomed from the start" without broadband investments during a keynote address at the Colorado Smart Cities Symposium on Tuesday, and urged any efforts to boost infrastructure spending to include expanded broadband access.

"We will never live in the city of tomorrow if we continue to rely on the technology and infrastructure of yesterday," she said, pointing out that an estimated 20% of Denver residents lack access to high-speed internet. It is a similar story in many other U.S. cities.
DeGette, along with the 30 other Democrats on the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, has co-sponsored a bill that would provide $40 billion to bring broadband to 98% of the country and $5 billion for secured loans, credit and loan guarantees that would finance more broadband infrastructure.