How Do Speed, Infrastructure, Access, and Adoption Inform Broadband Policy?

Significant parts of American life, including education, health care, shopping, and workforce training, are increasingly happening online. And because of this trend, households need reliable broadband—high-speed internet connections—more than ever before. In response, policymakers at all levels of government are working to expand the availability of broadband service. States have made this a priority, creating designated offices or establishing grant programs to fund the development of required broadband infrastructure. At the federal level, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) includes $360 billion to support certain types of projects—including broadband expansion—and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) allocates $65 billion to help states boost high-speed internet access and adoption. Here, Pew Charitable Trusts addresses what factors inform policymakers’ choices about where, when, and how to deploy these significant resources.

[Anna Read is senior officer and Kathryn de Wit is project director at The Pew Charitable Trusts' Broadband Access Initiative.]