State Efforts to Expand Broadband Access

The costly nature of connecting areas unserved by broadband has led to a disparity in urban versus rural broadband adoption rates. Yet a number of compelling reasons exist for promoting broadband access, including the benefits of telecommuting, telemedicine and educational applications. Accordingly, states are employing a variety of strategies to encourage or incentivize providers to expand broadband service to unserved areas.

This Issue Brief examines the strategies states are using to encourage or incentivize providers to expand broadband service to unserved areas. These include:

• Establishing a task force with public and private stakeholders to evaluate the current state of broadband deployment and identify beneficial policy changes;
• Providing tax incentives designed to encourage investment in broadband infrastructure as well as other related equipment and expenses;
• Creating dedicated funding that allows states to leverage private sector funds for investing in the infrastructure, thus maximizing their return on investment and expanding broadband availability in the most efficient way possible;
• Mapping broadband availability to help both policymakers and service providers determine where to focus their efforts and reveal gaps in service to providers who wish to expand their offerings; and
• Engaging local communities to increase grassroots demand that encourages providers to deploy broadband in previously unserved areas.

States are assuming a leadership role in expanding broadband access given the economic benefits to both the private and public sector. However, more progress is needed to achieve ubiquitous deployment of broadband, capable of handling the ever-increasing complexity of today's Internet-based media.