During his first State of the Union address, President Trump called on “both parties to come together to give us the safe, fast, reliable, and modern infrastructure our economy needs and our people deserve.” In his follow-up comments, he stated that such infrastructure plans should include “gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways, and waterways across our land;” something echoed by other elected officials in recent months.

However, there has been another call for infrastructure, one that focuses more on the emerging technologies and communications systems, including developments in broadband access and alternative energy development. This deliberation will challenge students to consider how the federal government should prioritize spending on infrastructure projects. Should the emphasis be on the revitalization of aging 20th century structures, or the investment in emerging 21st century initiatives?

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