Municipal Broadband 2022: Barriers Remain an Issue in 17 States

For decades, municipal broadband operations have been subject to a minefield of restrictions and barriers designed to make the prospect of establishing or maintaining a community broadband network costly, difficult, and unsustainable. There are currently 17 states in total that have restrictive legislation against municipal broadband networks in the US. In the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has put states opposed to municipal broadband in an interesting position: since they are required to submit their grant plan for public comment before receiving funds, they will have to defend their stance on not giving these funds to municipal operators. Further, the NTIA has also included language that makes it possible for municipalities to ask for funding directly if their state denies it to them. If a state decides to go down this road, it will almost certainly delay the timeline for receiving funding at all. Some states are already beginning to signal that they will not allow community broadband to be eligible for this massive, once-in-a-generation funding initiative. This issue will undoubtedly spark a wider issue regarding federal mandates – something states are already heavily divided on.