Universal Broadband: Whose Responsibility Is It?

Government Technology's 10 government, industry and nonprofit representatives answer who they think should be responsible for ensuring that every American has access to broadband Internet.

Joanne Hovis: This is a national responsibility. As a nation, in 1934, we decided through the Communications Act that all Americans should have access to a basic level of telecommunications service because it was critical to function and thrive. And the same is true in 2015 with respect to advanced broadband. For this reason, this is a responsibility that is held by all players and should be achievable given the extraordinary amount of support provided to commercial carriers through the federal Universal Service Fund.

Chris Mitchell: Government, specifically local government. As this is an infrastructure, infrastructures are historically either heavily regulated or owned by the public directly. In the current climate, I think the best results are when the public owns broadband infrastructure and has some level of direct control over it.

Doug Brake: It’s ultimately the government’s responsibility to ensure that there’s fair, equitable availability of broadband to the entire country. That being said, it’s clear that the private sector plays a predominant role in providing broadband in our country. So I think the private sector and the government should work together to find ways in which we can make sure that everyone is getting affordable broadband.

[Joanne Hovis is a member of the Benton Foundation's Board of Directors]