5 Questions on How States Can Put Federal Broadband Funds to Use with Sen. Deb Fischer and an Expert Panel

On April 4 the American Enterprise Institute hosted a discussion on how states can best use the $65 billion for broadband build-out apportioned by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai was joined by Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) followed by a panel discussion with John Bailey and Mark Jamison of AEI, Evan Feinman of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Sarah Oh Lam of the Technology Policy Institute (TPI), and Brent Skorup of George Mason University’s Mercatus Center. Sen Fischer said, " I was very proud to be able to support this bill because I think it is so important to make these investments in infrastructure—including roads, bridges, waterways, airports, and especially broadband." She said it was important to include "he technology-neutral speed requirements of 100/20 megabits per second (Mbps) and prioritizing unserved areas." The panelists discussed the broadband mapping efforts and how well states are prepared to receive and make good use of the federal broadband infrastructure support.