Broadband Deployment Plan Should Include Performance Goals and Measures

This congressionally requested report discusses 1) the federal broadband deployment policy, principal federal programs, and stakeholders' views of those programs; 2) how the policies of OECD nations with higher subscribership rates compare with US policy; and 3) actions the states have taken to encourage broadband deployment. To address these objectives, GAO analyzed the broadband policies of the United States and other OECD nations, reviewed federal program documentation and budgetary information, and interviewed federal and state officials and industry stakeholders. In developing the required broadband plan, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission should work with the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce to specify performance goals and measures for broadband deployment and to define the departments' roles and responsibilities in carrying out the plan. FCC generally agreed with GAO's recommendations.