Kathryn de Wit

States continue to make headway on the implementation of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, a $42 billion federal initiative to connect all Americans to high-speed internet.

The Pew Charitable Trusts submitted comments on February 18 to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), urging the agency to issue timely and clear guidance that will allow states to spend Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funds that are not used for broadband network construction—also known as nondeployment funds. The submission followed a February 11 NTIA 

After years of waiting, states and territories will soon begin breaking ground on projects intended to expand access to high-speed internet nationwide under the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program. Although the timing and circumstances will vary by state, federal lawmakers should be aware of key markers that will shape how the implementation of BEAD is unfolding:

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program is a $42.5 billion federal effort to expand affordable, high-speed internet access throughout the United States by funding the planning and building of broadband infrastructure projects, as well as programs that help people get online. The BEAD program was created as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. Since then, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has approved the initial BEAD plans of all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and five U.S. territories.

As states begin rolling out the federal program to expand high-speed broadband access, national policymakers need to keep the momentum going after three years of state-led outreach and planning with internet service providers (ISPs) and communities.

This brief examines how place-based factors—such as education levels, social vulnerability, regional economic strength, and measures of income inequality—influence broadband affordability. These measures reinforce that income is not the only factor policymakers should consider when seeking to understand broadband affordability and adoption challenges.

With the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) on the brink of exhausting its funding and congressional action to secure its future still uncertain, it’s time we have the hard conversation about sunk costs. For ACP, that includes:

A Q&A with Cornell University’s Natassia Bravo and Mildred Warner, Ph.D. Americans’ increasing need for high-speed, reliable internet access has sharpened the digital divide between those who have broadband service and those who do not, and it has driven billions of dollars in federal and state investments. Although state broadband programs have successfully narrowed the divide, questions remain about the effects of state-funded programs, particularly about equity in new connections and funding targets.

I met my husband Dan ten years ago, approximately 18 months after he got back from Afghanistan, and about five weeks after he left active duty. It was, in his words, as he was “shakily beginning the transition into civilian life.” That’s when I began learning about the role the internet plays in the lives of Veterans. Over the last decade, I’ve watched Dan navigate the hard journey of building a new identity as a civilian and Veteran. For Dan, the internet was arguably the most valuable and essential tool he had in redefining “esprit de corps” when he left active duty.

Congress is veering toward a potential government shutdown with no sign that the ongoing partisan divide over the budget will end anytime soon. So now, without delay, we need to identify opportunities for collaboration that result in tangible benefits for the public. One such opportunity is the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).