Sustain Affordable Connectivity By Ending Obsolete Broadband Programs

New broadband funding programs necessitate dramatic reforms to old programs. In its report, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) recommends reversing the status quo and sustaining the Affordable Connectivity Program by shrinking the redundant hodgepodge of federal broadband programs. With so much at stake, it is more important than ever to ensure that broadband funding helps those who need it, and the right programs are sustainable. ITIF says that as things now stand, federal broadband programs are dangerously out of balance. The report includes the following recommendations for Congress:

1. Discontinue the High-Cost, Lifeline, ReConnect, and all other (nontribal) federal programs targeting broadband deployment or individual broadband affordability.
2. Appropriate funding equivalent to those programs’ average annual spending to sustain the ACP.
3. Modify the size of and eligibility for the ACP benefit to make up for any remaining shortfall.