October 2024

Affordable Broadband is the Way to Improve Lives and Grow the Economy in Nebraska

Nebraska is aiming to connect 99 percent of homes and businesses with reliable and affordable high-speed internet access by 2027. Based on June 2023 data, 12-15 percent of Nebraska’s locations are unserved or underserved, and approximately 105,000 households lack acceptable access to the internet. An unfavorable business case for investment, especially in rural areas, has resulted in limited access.

Commissioner Starks Remarks at Mobile World Congress

The growth in mobile data traffic makes our world better informed, more fulfilled, and of course, better connected. It means consumers are taking advantage of the powerful service our networks are delivering. But it also means those networks are being tested like never before. As we know, this network strain will only continue as IoT devices, intelligent infrastructure, and AI-enabled applications proliferate.

Impact of the Election on the Broadband Sector

Let’s discuss the current Broadband Policy State of Play and how the election may affect it. There are four fundamental goals of broadband policy: