As the U.S. Senate debated cuts to a US$890 billion stimulus package, representatives of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the Communications Workers of America and Connected Nation, called on the Senate to keep funding for building broadband networks in rural and other underserved areas.

The Senate version of the economic stimulus package originally included $9 billion for broadband deployment, about $3 billion more than a House of Representatives' stimulus bill that passed Jan. 29. Late Friday, senators continued to debate their own stimulus bill, with several lawmakers calling for significant cuts in the spending package. One proposal would cut the broadband spending by $1.5 billion.

Money for broadband is important to help rural and some urban areas realize the economic and social benefits of broadband, said Raquel Noriega, director of strategic partnerships at Connected Nation, a nonprofit group focused on helping communities expand broadband deployment.

"I cannot see a better way" to stimulate the economy, she said during an ITIF forum on broadband stimulus in the U.S. Capitol.

Some groups have questioned whether there's a need for broadband deployment money in the bill. On Jan. 21, New York Times tech columnist Saul Hansell that broadband providers would reach most of the nation without a large amount of stimulus money. Using new cable modem technology, the U.S. should be able to surpass other nations' broadband speeds, he wrote.