This report suggests policy strategies for consideration as the State of New Mexico seeks to maximize the investment environment for broadband. Additionally, the report includes suggested parameters for a state funding program and presents a selection of case studies of successful public-private partnership models for broadband.

This report examines the problem of access to high-speed internet and explores models of emerging public-private partnerships that can help solve the gaps in access. It makes a strong case that North Carolina must change its policy approaches to better encourage these partnerships, which are needed if major parts of the state are not going to be left behind economically.

This resource presents the case for dig once policies, identifies three general approaches to dig once, and presents a set of recommendations for localities when developing a dig once ordinance or policy.

A presentation that provides an overview of the constraints and opportunities posed to communities by the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) small cell order. It frames small cell technologies and their implications for communities, describes technical and aesthetic standards, and describes the elements of a small cell cost analysis.

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This report is the third in a series about the digital divide for students and teachers. It aims to provide a more granular understanding of the digital divide for students amid distance learning and the pandemic and offers a set of policy recommendations at the federal, state, and local levels to permanently close the digital divide.

This policy brief argues that the economy is stronger and educational opportunities are greater, thanks in part to high-speed Internet access. It discusses the benefits that greater broadband penetration can have on the economic, education, and health. A recommendation to broaden access to broadband is to reform the FCC's Lifeline program to include broadband and make the program more efficient and accountable.

This resource from the Brookings Institution addresses the broadband accessibility problem faced in rural America and how it was aggravated by the Trump FCC's mismanagement of efforts to connect unserved Americans. The outdated definition of "broadband" was not updated by the Trump FCC, which led to incorrect mapping and data collection.

This resource explains the four primary pieces of broadband policy in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and how they can help move America toward its long-held goals of universal broadband access and adoption. Firstly, the largest part of the IIJA's $65 billion is a $42.5 billion appropriation to fund network deployment. Second, the IIJA includes a subsidy for low-income Americans to connect to broadband. Third, the Senate orders the FCC to come up with a plan to reform universal service. Finally, the fourth component provides a surge of funding to address digital training and literacy.

This resource is a video of a call between U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and community broadband advocates from Benton, Chicago, and Isanti Counties to discuss how the bipartisan infrastructure bill can help expand broadband to rural Minnesota communities.

This statement expresses how the lack of broadband competition disproportionately impacts low-income subscribers. The author suggests policy solutions, including gathering pricing data to promote and assess competition, or expanding competition for residents in multi-tenant locations.

This blog offers seven ways for governments to tackle the broadband affordability challenge in America, as cost is a primary reason people do not subscribe to broadband. The author offers such recommendations as spurring competition, protecting and strengthening Lifeline, helping subsidize programs for low-income people, and educating and protecting consumers.

This piece from The Benton Institute examines the ways governments can ensure competitive choices for renters in multi-tenant environments (MTE), as the lack of competition contributes to the nation's broadband affordability challenges. The author recommends that Congress and the FCC act on anticompetitive practices and prohibit contracts that discourage access to broadband, and that state and local governments lower the barrier to entry.

This resource briefly evaluates data-driven state plans used by policymakers and stakeholders who had previously made assumptions about broadband access, which often led to ineffective solutions. The author indicates that data can show a more nuanced picture of the issues affecting broadband adoption rates in different states.

A blog that examines ideas policymakers should consider as the Covid-19 pandemic has made the digital divide a large issue to tackle. Policymakers should consider analyses of broadband adoption barriers, such as cost and competitive rates.

This resource explains two policy tools that may help address the digital divide. Promoting competition leads to investing in new infrastructure and lower prices for consumers. Providing a subsidy tackles affordability more directly by offering cost relief, which may be a more attractive approach.