Vernonburg Group

Vernonburg Groug recently released a blog describing broad and growing bipartisan support for allowing state and territorial broadband offices to use their remaining uncommitted Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funds for broadband projects that further the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s (IIJA) direction that Eligible Entities use allocated funds to “facilitate the goals of the BEAD program.” One potential use for these remaini

Most state and territorial broadband offices have completed subgrantee selections for Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program last-mile connectivity projects and submitted their final proposals to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

The Digital Opportunity Index aims to fill a critical gap: the absence of objective tools that assess, encourage, and reward intentional and transparent efforts by ISPs to close the digital divide. Mainstream standards such as Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) indices purport to align ethical and social outcomes with financial performance. These frameworks have helped investors evaluate corporate risk and long-term value, and are often used in due diligence processes.

On June 6, 2025, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration released its Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Policy Notice which, among other things, froze funding for non-deployment efforts while the NTIA conducts a further review with plans to “issue updated guidance in the future.” NTIA went on to state that it will not reimburse Eligible Entities for “new costs associated with previously approved non-deployment activities incurred after the date of this Policy Notice.” By freezing non-deployment funding, the Policy Notice has created a challenge for Elligible En

Looking back on the bipartisan Infrastructure Act and its early days, the push by many at that time was fiber only and fiber everywhere. And if you are following the recent news that pendulum has swung to people insisting that Starlink is the solution for all remaining unserved and underserved locations.

High-speed Internet access is now essential for full participation in modern society. A reliable home Internet connection can have a transformative impact on a household and can lead to a wealth of previously untapped opportunities in areas like education, healthcare, employment, and civic participation. As Internet service providers (ISPs) and policymakers continue to find ways to expand high-speed broadband connectivity to all United States residents, it is essential no one is left behind.

On June 24, 2022, I wrote an Op-Ed urging policymakers to fully fund the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). I predicted that funding for the ACP is likely to run out by mid-2024 and called for action at the state and federal levels to extend that funding. We’ve had some follow-up questions on how we came up with our projections. The four assumptions used to model our projections are as follows:

When it comes to expanding broadband connectivity, policymakers face two major challenges: 1) ensuring that all US residents have access to high-speed fixed broadband connectivity (“availability”), and 2) ensuring that as many US residents as possible subscribe to fixed broadband (“adoption”). In other words, policymakers are tasked with making sure fixed broadband is both universally available and universally adopted.

On June 24, 2022, The Hill published our Op-Ed urging policymakers to fully fund the Affordable Connectivity Program. That Op-Ed predicted that funding for the program is likely to run out by mid-2024 and called for action at the state and federal levels to extend that funding. We’ve had some follow up questions on how we came up with our projections. Here we explain our projections.