Reaching the broadband end zone: Going the last 5 yards

We’ve been working to fill [the tricky gap between urban and rural broadband access] for more than two decades. Around 95 percent of the US population today has access to broadband of at least 25 megabits per second. 99 percent of non-rural households do, and 98 percent of non-rural households enjoy access to 100 megabits-per-second service.

In solving the problem of the last five yards, however, we should look to the strategy that took us so successfully 95 yards down the field. Since 1996, when the communications world was mostly unleashed from the old monopoly model, telecom, cable, and mobile firms have invested $1.8 trillion in broadband networks. These fast and nearly ubiquitous networks allowed the US to become the world leader in network traffic, and they are the foundation of our explosive web, software, e-commerce, and general information industries. But how do you bring the expertise of private sector networks to a small slice of the market which appears to be uneconomical to serve? The best idea so far is the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). 

The combination of RDOF, individual state efforts, and new wireless and satellite technologies mean that within the next couple years, nearly all Americans could have access to broadband. While these new networks won’t be in place before the school year begins next month, this episode is a reason to help the remaining five percent prepare for the future, which will surely surprise us.