Breaking Down Barriers to Broadband Access

The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the effects of the digital divide. Those with broadband access could work, attend school, shop, and be seen by their doctors without leaving home, and those without sufficient access could not. Federal efforts to provide broadband access to all span multiple presidential administrations. Here, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) explores its work about some of the ongoing challenges to achieving the goal of closing the digital divide. The GAO recommends synchronizing federal efforts through a national broadband strategy. Various federal officials we spoke with noted possible benefits of such a strategy, including helping agencies to combine or consolidate programs, administer programs in ways that reduce barriers to participation, and design or modify programs to meet national and interagency goals. The GAO also recommends developing a national strategy for closing the gap in broadband access on Tribal lands as part of the broader national broadband strategy. An overarching national broadband strategy, which also includes a strategy for Tribal broadband, could guide agencies in working more collaboratively to break down barriers to broadband access. Succeeding could transform the daily lives—and futures—for generations of Americans.