States play a key role as federal broadband funding pours in

Broadband funding has been pouring in from the federal government, and much of it is being allocated on the state level. This is the case for two of the biggest federal funding pots on the table right now, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the yet-to-be-passed bipartisan infrastructure deal. Kathryn de Wit, Project Director of the Broadband Access Initiative at Pew Charitable Trusts, said that states are increasingly pursuing legislation to set aside “some allotment of incoming federal funds to support their ongoing broadband efforts.” While she noted the details of how much funding is allocated “may ultimately depend on the legislative oversight committees or decisions made by the governor,” several states are planning to use federal funds for broadband deployments. Pew has reported that the most successful state programs incorporate a state-level broadband office with full-time staff alongside planning and technical support systems for local governments and well-funded grant programs for service providers. While the federal funding will help with the latter, Senior Officer for Pew’s Broadband Access Initiative Anna Read noted that having an official broadband office with full-time staff is “operationally important” because it “creates a clear point of contact for broadband stakeholders” and can make it easier for communities and providers to connect to meet unserved needs.