Federal Agency

The telecommunications industry is pinning its hopes on the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program to bring broadband to all hard-to-reach rural locations across the U.S.

When it comes to connectivity, Connecticut (pun intended) is in the enviable situation of having 99 percent of its locations already powered by broadband. But statewide usage statistics—from the American Community Survey and providers’ adoption data—showed that only about 87 percent of its locations actually subscribe to internet.

Adoption is now the primary barrier to closing the digital divide. While deployment subsidies have been the bread and butter of broadband policy for decades, now that implementation of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA’s) Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program is underway, broadband policy must retool for a future that prioritizes adoption efforts to address the leading causes of Internet non-use rather than the dwindling problem of lack of deployment. Digital inclusion efforts that can address adoption gaps

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is thrilled by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s publication of the National Spectrum Research and Development Plan. Whether you’re talking about 5G, WiFi, advanced manufacturing, or missions to the moon and beyond, 21st-century American innovation often depends on sufficient access to spectrum.

One of the enduring ironies of antitrust law is that governments often step in to solve perceived problems that market forces are already addressing. A prime example: the breakup of AT&T in 1984 didn’t bring about the demise of the Bell telephone monopoly. The real shift came from new fiber optic networks—launched around 1984—and the development of cellular networks. Now, we see the same pattern with Google.

Tornadoes, heavy rain, hurricane-force wind, and storm surge. Any of these could devastate a community.

In 2021 Vice President Kamala Harris (D-CA) agreed to lead the administration’s $42 billion plan for expanding high-speed internet to millions of Americans. That year, she tweeted that “we can bring broadband to rural America today.” Today, nearly three years after Congress passed the infrastructure bill that created the program, not one home or business has been connected through it.

The federal government has set aside $42 billion to connect last-mile communities and just under $1 billion for the middle mile networks that will provide the backbone to reach those unserved homes.

At what point is it too expensive to deploy fiber? That's a key question for Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program participants looking to deploy alternative technologies in hard to reach areas of the country.

State officials have been working hard to suss out what kinds of skills ISPs need and how best to attract and train up new workers, said Edyn Rolls, Chief Strategic Officer for the Oklahoma Broadband Office. For instance, Oklahoma State University conducted a nationwide study to identify what areas of the broadband workforce need the biggest boost, she said. GIS mapping and engineering skills would be most in demand, the study found.