Carl Guardino: The Time is Now for 100 Percent Broadband Access in the US

In June 2023, President Joe Biden announced how $42 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment funding will be allocated across the US and its territories to bring 100% broadband access to nearly 60 million unserved or underserved Americans within five years. That goal, and the billions of dollars and new tools available, will give policymakers, communities, and industry stakeholders a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to bridge the digital divide. However, finances are finite and currently trending in a budget-busting “fiber-first” direction. Fiber is great where attainable, but this approach overlooks the important realities of providing reliable broadband to underserved areas at scale, and fiber alone would require far more funding than what is currently available. Thanks to recent technological advancements, there are new tools available that efficiently and cost-effectively reach those forgotten by “fiber-first” thinking. Next-generation fixed wireless access is a unique technology category that overcomes long-battled challenges of the wireless broadband industry. For the first time ever, we have what it takes to achieve 100% coverage with readily available funds, and in timelines measured in weeks and months rather than multiple years. With billions of dollars at stake, and all of the technological means to get this right, the time is now to bridge the digital divide for every American family.

[Carl Guardino serves as the vice president of government affairs and public policy at Tarana]