States Take Different Approaches to Establishing Broadband Offices

In August, The Pew Charitable Trusts updated its tracker for states that have dedicated broadband offices, task forces, agencies or funds. With this most recent update, Pew determined that all 50 states administer active broadband programs. But how they manage those programs varies widely. Some states place their broadband office inside a business or economic agency, while others house it within their technology agency. Some states coordinate broadband from the governor’s office or across agencies. However they are structured, these state authorities are handling billions of dollars in federal broadband investment through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. Pew states that “a state-level broadband office with full-time staff” is a core component of a successful broadband program. Additionally, the broadband office must establish required core competencies and a forum through which to gather informed input, and they must possess “the structure, support and authority to execute the planning, capacity building and competitive grant programs that increase service availability,” Pew notes.