A Broadband Toolkit for Local Governments

Two federal laws passed in 2021 increased broadband funding to states by more than $20 billion. That’s on top of the $38 billion that the Federal Communications Commission can spend. And, if Congress passes the federal infrastructure bill, another $65 billion would head to states and cities with the goal of providing high-speed internet to nearly all Americans. The FCC estimates it would cost $80 billion to deliver broadband internet to everyone. All this spending would put us there. Unfortunately, much of the incoming funding risks being misspent by being too much, distributed too quickly and not properly targeted. But there are steps that states and municipalities can take to effectively use the broadband funding they get. 

• Before launching expensive and ambitious projects, government officials should review their current regulations and remove artificial limits on private companies that want to expand high-speed internet access.
• State and local municipalities should rely on private providers as much as possible.
• Governments should avoid prioritizing one type of technology over another.
• Instead of taking on the risks of operating a profitable network of its own, local governments should use money they would have spent on construction and provide vouchers to people in underserved areas.

[Jarrett Skorup is director of marketing and communications at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy]