StateTech

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.

More than 42 million Americans lack broadband access, including many in rural communities, according to research group BroadbandNow, which provides independent data on broadband access and policy. Now, states have access to significant federal funding to improve the situation. The American Rescue Plan Act earmarked $350 billion for a variety of services for state and local agencies, including expanded broadband access.

As far back as 2012, broadband infrastructure was part of the master planning process for Gilbert (AZ), a Phoenix suburb with a population of about 270,000. The fiber has provided reliable, fast connectivity for the town’s operations, including emergency services such as fire and police. Now, Gilbert officials are working to provide broadband access to residents and businesses to expand options and make the town a more attractive place to live and work.

As state and local governments look ahead to applying for broadband grants that are part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, some governments are not waiting around for that new federal money to get started on their efforts to expand access to high-speed internet service.

Chattanooga (TN) has the fastest internet in the United States. Why is that? The Electric Power Board of Chattanooga, the city’s municipally owned telecom and utilities provider, has invested heavily in fiber-optic network infrastructure, delivering 1-gigabit-per-second connections. That has enabled residents to access superfast broadband services, but it could also spur the deployment of new services, including telehealth. The city is actively exploring the idea of delivering telehealth services to residents who subscribe to EPB broadband services.

Broadband access throughout California and the country are the result of different models implemented by governing authorities. Those models sometimes differ from municipality to municipality, and they result in various avenues to internet access — either wholly funded by taxpayers and implemented by public agencies or provided entirely by private business in a competitive market, noted Blair Levin, nonresident senior fellow for the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, in a recent assessment.