House Republicans Question Future of Federal Broadband Programs

House Republicans repeatedly questioned whether the federal government still needs roughly 130 programs supporting broadband access. The issue surfaced throughout a hearing of the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee. Among the measures under discussion was the bipartisan PLAN for Broadband Act, which would require the executive branch to develop a national broadband strategy. The bill was first introduced in 2022, after the Government Accountability Office found federal broadband programs had become fragmented, creating overlapping efforts and coordination challenges. GAO Director of Physical Infrastructure Andrew Von Ah, a witness, suggested that once the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program fulfills its goal of connecting unserved locations, the federal government is unlikely to
need as many broadband programs.