WASHINGTON — Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee introduced an amendment to the 2010 war supplemental bill to cut $602 million, or nearly a tenth of the total of $7.2 billion, from economic stimulus funding to expand broadband deployment and adoption nationwide. The proposed amendment would redirect those funds to offset the deficit in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Andrew Jay Schwartzman, Senior Vice President and Policy Director of Media Access Project, issued the following statement in response to these reports:

“The $602 million to be reallocated represents a negligible portion of U.S. war spending. But these funds would cover the cost of a large number of broadband infrastructure and adoption projects spanning multiple states, to benefit thousands of people living and working without adequate access to the Internet.

“War spending must not take precedence over connecting underserved households, schools, health care facilities, and libraries to high-speed Internet service in a time of continued economic difficulty and social inequality.”