Red Tape Isn’t the Only Reason America Can’t Build

Figuring out how to provide high-speed internet to all Americans has been an important public-policy goal for decades. As the coronavirus pandemic made painfully clear, broadband is crucial to full participation in society. And multiple empirical studies have shown that increased broadband access is correlated with stronger economic growth. Yet more than 7 million homes and businesses still do not have access. But the current political debate misunderstands the nature of the problem at almost every level. When it comes to broadband, procedural simplicity on its own hasn’t worked in the past and won’t work in the future. The deeper issue is that the United States government has abandoned the full range of policy tools that would actually get the job done. Any effort to achieve “abundance” must start by recognizing that red tape isn’t the only reason America can’t seem to build anymore.

[Asad Ramzanali is the director of artificial intelligence and technology policy at the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator. Benjamin Dinovelli is an academic fellow at the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator.]