Participants in this video recommend that, as the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed the necessity of high-speed broadband in homes and businesses to adapt to the socially distanced reality of the moment, state and local leaders should establish resilient infrastructure development goals. This conversation is about the need to establish governance frameworks that support investment strategies using innovative finance tools.

The Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities (BPC) Index provides a means to compare metropolitan areas’ performance in terms of investment and policy choices. This 2021 version emphasizes jobs, wages, and high-technology growth, while also measuring housing affordability and household broadband access.

A report that compares the rankings of nearly 400 metropolitan areas across the United States on the Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities (BPC) Index and the GoDaddy Venture Forward (VF) rankings of microbusiness density to better understand the economic opportunity landscape in the country. Properly understanding the value of economic assets and increased microbusiness density may allow communities to enhance their existing growth trajectory and create new opportunities.

Published in August 2018, the Michigan Broadband Roadmap is a report from the Michigan Consortium of Advanced Networks (MCAN) to outline long-term goals for the state, with the purpose of identifying gaps in service coverage and capacity, along with providing recommendations for the public and private sector. Chief recommendations focus on connecting unserved communities, improving affordability, increasing digital literacy, closing the homework gap, and investing in broadband to improve access and adoption.

Maryland’s Task Force on Rural Internet, Broadband, Wireless and Cellular Service provides this report of recommendations to address broadband access in unserved and underserved areas of the state. Chief recommendations focus on implementing legislation that allows electric utility easements and rights-of-way to be used for broadband, providing support for additional resources, and working with the state's congressional delegation to increase federal grant funding or matching funds.

The State of Maine Broadband Action Plan of 2020 is a report of strategies for Maine. The plan to build out high speed, affordable internet is based on a community planning model which will rely on public/private partnerships. Instead of using a reverse auction to award projects, Maine will use a two-track grant/loan process that requires matches from providers and community support.

This episode of The Divide podcast provides perspective on Project Overcome from Mari Silbey, director of partnerships and outreach at US Ignite, as well as Alex Wyglinski and Casey Canfield, engineering professors and co-leads on a broadband deployment project in Clinton County, Missouri. Project Overcome funds novel broadband projects.

In this resource, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies encourage state and local leaders to focus on equitable development that improves the quality of life in communities of color, specifically when it comes to 5G and smart city technology.

This resource argues that efforts to close the digital divide in the Black rural South have been lacking, providing support showing that high-speed internet and broadband service are often not available or affordable in these areas, and that access to these services would demonstrably improve quality of life. It recommends the establishment of a permanent and meaningful broadband benefit program and a taskforce to prevent digital redlining, among other policies.

In this testimony, Joanne Hovis, president of CTC Technology & Energy, makes the case before the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology that broadband infrastructure should be included in any infrastructure investment program.

This 2020 plan outlines the state of Indiana's goals for expanding broadband access through engaging the business community, bridging the digital divide, and enhancing community development.

This resource describes the state of Superior, Wisconsin's plans to develop an open access fiber network that would reach every resident. The project's main objectives are to reduce the cost of broadband for residents and businesses and to improve network speed and reliability.

This 2020 report presents Illinois’ broadband plan, Connect Illinois, and its commitment to closing gaps and expanding opportunity. The plan outlines goals to provide basic access to high-speed internet and ensure longer term high-speed access, and strategies to help the state meet these goals.

Hawaii's 2020 state broadband strategic plan sets goals for the future of broadband in Hawaii, such as ensuring robust broadband infrastructure to all residents,  expanding digital inclusion and adoption, and strengthening community resilience through broadband. It also provides an overview of the current broadband landscape in Hawaii, and state characteristics relevant to broadband deployment and adoption.

Produced in March 2011, this strategic plan assesses Florida’s governmental broadband infrastructure service offerings; describes and analyzes internal and external models for providing broadband; reviews and evaluates future public sector broadband needs, with strategies for their implementation; identifies broadband availability and adoption barriers; and recommends methods to cost-efficiently optimize broadband use.