Boom or Bust: Getting Broadband Infrastructure Programs Right

Congress is going big on broadband. It has appropriated more than $20 billion to spend on broadband in just the last several months. That is a huge amount compared to past efforts, equating to almost 25% of the annual revenues of the entire fixed broadband industry. And, in the wings is an infrastructure bill that could deliver another whopping $100 billion in spending. As legislators begin to sign more broadband stimulus checks, it is imperative that they establish critical safeguards and avoid classic traps that have undermined past programs. Such guardrails can make the difference between a golden age of broadband investment, or a costly sinkhole that squanders billions and does little to close actual broadband gaps.

• Serve the Neediest First: The government shouldn’t step in to subsidize higher speeds while there are communities that have no broadband. 
• "Future Proofing" Networks Can Backfire When Solving the Broadband Gap
• Let Engineers Rather Than Regulators Design Networks