I find it interesting how much of our infrastructure is being funded, at least in part, by foreign investors and governments. I can't find a source for this atm, but I've hear rumors that Chinese investors are the ones footing a large portion of the bill for subway station WiFi and cell services being added in NYC. Through the EB5 visa program, foreign investors can essentially purchase a green card by investing in US-based infrastructure or services creating jobs. This includes shopping malls, housing complexes, schools, etc. Here, Japanese investors are looking to begin funding railways in the US. Ultimately, I think it's a positive development since it enables so many projects that would be otherwise impossible, but it certainly raises the question of how much of our infrastructure will actually be owned by us in the future.
Foreign infrastructure funding has been going on for a while now in the form of toll roads. Particularly, there is a Spanish group called Cintra who does a lot of business stateside. See these articles for more information. [1] [2]
