Broadband Deployment: Who’s the Cop on the Beat?

Many people have criticized the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for its execution of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program, which awarded $6 billion in funding to bring broadband to 3.5 million locations across the country. But many fail to appreciate that state public utility commissions (PUCs) share some responsibility with the FCC in ensuring that these RDOF-funded projects are proceeding as planned. When Congress enacted the landmark legislation that established the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program to bring internet to all, it established a framework in which states would be responsible for awarding funding to sub-recipients and monitoring compliance, subject to an overarching national framework. After BEAD awards are announced, it’s inevitable that some key personnel at state broadband offices will move on to new professional opportunities. Let’s hope that states embrace their responsibilities for post-award oversight and maintain the resources necessary to perform that critical role in BEAD.

[Carol Mattey is a former senior official from the Federal Communications Commission, where she led teams working on initiatives to modernize the FCC’s $9 billion Universal Service Fund to support broadband. She currently is the principal of Mattey Consulting LLC, which provides strategic and public policy advisory services to broadband providers and other entities seeking funding for broadband.]