Krishna Jayakar

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is one of several US federal and state government programs that seek to bridge the so-called “digital divide” through targeted consumer subsidies and support for infrastructure rollout. Though these subsidy programs aim to improve vital broadband and telecommunications access to low-income households, their uptake has varied across US states and counties. This fits the pattern of low participation rates in other means-tested broadband subsidy programs such as Lifeline and Linkup.

This paper investigates whether the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP), implemented as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) had a positive impact on farm productivity, defined as farm sales per farm employment, in the counties that received any BIP funding. The effect of BIP on the growth of farm sales was examined for the 2008–2010, 2008–2011, 2008–2012 and 2008–2013 periods.

This paper considers whether common national standards for determining participants' eligibility and designating service providers in the Lifeline program are preferable to a decentralized system where state utility commissions have greater influence over these program parameters. Two recent decisions of the Federal Communications Commission, a 2016 Order and its reversal in March 2017, on the designation of Eligible Telecommunications Carriers to provide broadband Lifeline service, centered on this question.