Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Broadband is critical to Pennsylvania’s economy, public services, and quality of life, enabling access to work, education, healthcare, and government services. Its importance is especially pronounced in rural and post-industrial communities, where connectivity supports economic opportunity and access to essential resources. Yet major gaps remain: over 130,000 locations lack broadband access, and roughly 2 million households struggle to afford service.

In a freewheeling first year in office, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, one of President Trump’s most influential deputies, has used the power of the federal government in unorthodox and aggressive ways. Some of his tactics have been creative. Others were blunt-force.

As electric cooperatives descend upon Washington (DC) for their fifth-annual Broadband Leadership Summit, they bring with them a number of policy priorities and concerns. Among those is their growing distress at the direction of the federal government's $42 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program.

The Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program is driving significant private-sector broadband investment, with ISPs contributing more than $11 billion in matching funds. ISP funding comprises about 37 percent of total project cost, substantially exceeding the program’s 25 percent matching requirement. Match commitments scale with provider size: established national ISPs match 49 percent of project costs, compared to 28 percent for small/regional ISPs.

On May 29, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget proposes to revise the Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance. The proposals might be among the most consequential changes to federal grant administration in more than a decade, particularly in the breadth of its policy conditions.

One of the things I used to get dinged on in school from time to time was failing to “show my work” in math class. I’d sometimes shortcut to an answer and lose points for it. If showing your work is necessary for math tests with no real-world implications, the same principle should apply when it comes to giving out billions of dollars for broadband. However, in this case, showing your work isn’t about how you got there. The goal of broadband funding isn’t to cut a ribbon on a fancy new network or to blast statistics about locations passed.

If the U.S. wants to lead in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, we need a connected, digitally skilled public. Building infrastructure is only half the equation—people need the tools, training and support to actually use it. The $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program is still deploying physical broadband infrastructure; without the Digital Equity Act’s companion $2.75 billion investments in digital adoption and skills, much of that infrastructure risks going underutilized.

The Blueprint for Equitable Digital Participation was designed to center the lived experiences of those directly impacted by digital inequities. Participants provided recommendations that ultimately pass the ‘kitchen table’ test—policies needed to help people live with dignity, opportunity, and the ability to thrive—for how to solve the digital divide in low-to-moderate-income households across America. Key takeaways include: 

May 8 was supposed to be a ribbon cutting. Delta Interfaith—a church-based community organizing group—had spent months planning an event to mark fiber reaching Lake Providence, the main town in East Carroll Parish. Jonathan Chambers, CEO at rural operator Conexon Connect, was due to come with a schedule in hand for building into neighborhoods. Veneeth Iyengar, head of Louisiana’s broadband office would be there too.

After a year of rebidding and guidance changes, the U.S. broadband industry breathed a sigh of relief when the National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced it had approved the vast majority of final state Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment proposals, opening the door for funding to flow.