Federal Telecommunications Officials Can Build on State Successes

The Pew Charitable Trusts recommended that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration take lessons from the progress states have already made in increasing broadband availability, including through prioritizing fiber deployment, implementing challenge processes to ensure that grant dollars reach the communities most in need, and providing funds to nontraditional internet service providers, such as cooperatives and investor-owned utilities. Additionally, Pew encouraged NTIA to collaborate with other federal agencies to align requirements across broadband funding programs and accelerate implementation—and to engage with independent experts and stakeholders to ensure that Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act program guidelines reflect the latest research in the field as well as future needs.