A Game Plan to—Finally—Connect Every American to Broadband

Our networks still don’t reach everyone, and private dollars alone won’t solve this challenge. Our country needs to close that gap, and now is the time for legislators and policymakers to act to ensure the educational and economic success of all Americans by making broadband connectivity more accessible, affordable and sustainable. Market forces and private companies can’t do it alone because of the lack of return on the significant investment necessary to reach all Americans. But it is in society’s interest for our government to financially incentivize the investments necessary to ensure that all children can learn, and all workers can do their jobs. Through a mix of public subsidies for low income households and smart policies that encourage new infrastructure investment in unserved areas, we can finally close this gap.

Here are four specific things Congress and the administration can do to meet the goal of bringing high-speed broadband to every American family:

1. We need to identify where broadband is unavailable with geographic precision.
2. The Federal Communication Commission’s program that supports connectivity for low-income households needs to be modernized.
3. As Congress debates earmarking up to $80 billion for rural broadband as part of the next round of pandemic relief, we should give equal weight to wired and wireless options.
4. Washington should enact a policy framework that incorporates sustainable funding mechanisms for the long run.

[John Stankey is CEO of AT&T]