CBO Scores Measuring the Economic Impact of Broadband Act

The Measuring the Economic Impact of Broadband Act (S.1289) would require the Department of Commerce to submit a report to the Congress assessing the effects of broadband deployment on the U.S. economy. The first report would be due two years after the bill’s enactment, with subsequent reports due every two years. Such reports would consider the effect of e-commerce, peer-to-peer commerce (such as Etsy), and the production of digital media on the U.S. economy. The Department would be required to consider the effect of broadband deployment on employment, job creation, business headcounts, income, telehealth, and agriculture. Using information from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1289 would cost $2 million over the 2019-2024 period for the BEA to coordinate with several federal agencies and to produce the required analyses and reports; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.