Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Supports Broadband Partnerships

A growing number of initiatives across America have sought to facilitate affordable access to broadband by working with willing incumbents, partnering with new entrants, establishing their own communications networks, or developing creative new alternatives. For many, broadband partnerships have emerged as their most attractive option; for some, partnerships may be their only feasible option. Depending on the circumstances, partnerships can significantly improve a broadband project’s prospects for success. Among other things, they can facilitate the pooling of resources available to the partners, enable each partner to perform the tasks for which it is best suited, and allow for asymmetric allocation of benefits. For example, a well-crafted partnership can take advantage of a public or cooperative entity’s ability to invest “patient capital” in projects that provide long-term benefits for the community and, at the same time, accommodate a private entity’s need to earn more immediate profits. In some cases, partnerships can also enable the parties to comply with State restrictions on purely public broadband initiatives. Recognizing the attractiveness of broadband partnerships, Congress and several states have sought to encourage them to help accelerate broadband deployment, adoption, and use. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act does not just favor partnerships in broadband matters. It also does so for transportation and cybersecurity.