One year ago today I was standing on the South Lawn of the White House alongside a bipartisan group of lawmakers watching President Biden sign the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, infusing billions of dollars for an unprecedented national broadband deployment effort. We knew at the time it was a historic moment, but today, when I paused to think about just how much has happened in 365 days, I felt it was critical to highlight just how much we’ve accomplished together.
Now, we’re not even close to done. In fact, the work has just begun and there is so much still to do ahead. But seriously, what a year it has been!
In anticipation of the distribution of $42.5 billion of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program funding, for example, our team has continued its advocacy at the highest levels. While the discussions have moved from Capitol Hill to federal and state agencies, our staff continues to work closely with NTCA members on key implementation questions that could make or break the success of this program in the end. Every week, we are talking to federal and state policymakers about important questions such as the definitions of high-cost areas and extremely high-cost locations, what procurement regulations will apply to grant awards, and how to promote adoption of services atop funded networks.
We’ve also worked to develop tools that members can use to position themselves best for participation in these new programs. For example, we launched the Broadband Opportunity Hub, designed to push out the latest funding information. We have also partnered with ACA Connects to create a BEAD State/Territory Tracker that provides weekly updates on the efforts by states and territories to distribute BEAD funds. We also published a Broadband Infrastructure Playbook in collaboration with the Fiber Broadband Association to assist state broadband offices in making efficient and effective use of funds and we’ve hosted webinars to help explain funding opportunities and collect your feedback about how to better implement them.
Even as this work continues and preparation for BEAD remains a work in progress, we’ve seen these efforts to secure broadband funds pay off.
In 2022 alone, NTCA member companies received over $1 billion in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ReConnect loans and grants to bring broadband to rural areas nationwide. For context, that’s more than half of what was set aside in the infrastructure law for the ReConnect program.
Of course, there are other programs that have allocated funding to broadband deployment in the past year, including Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund and other pandemic-related relief efforts. We’re also so proud that the vast majority of NTCA members participate in the $14.2 billion Affordable Connectivity Program. NTCA’s community-based broadband providers have a long track record of serving some of the most remote parts of our country, so it’s thrilling—even if not a surprise—to see so many of our members making the most of these new initiatives. Truly, well done!
Even with all this tremendous success, however, we must not lose sight of the continuing importance of the federal Universal Service Fund (USF), both to help make the business case for network construction in many rural areas and to sustain those networks and the affordability of services offered atop them thereafter. Our member policy committees and NTCA staff have spent countless hours crafting proposals and advocating for much-needed updates to these essential USF programs.
I am marking the important anniversary of the enactment of the infrastructure law in Charlotte, N.C., visiting with the senior leadership from fiber optic manufacturer Corning to discuss how best to ensure NTCA members can sustain their efforts to deploy fiber throughout rural America. At NTCA we believe fiber delivers the best broadband experience, and we are hopeful that we will find more ways to work with Corning to get more fiber sooner into the hands of those most committed to serving rural communities.
So today, let’s take a moment to reflect on the last year and the successes you and your companies have achieved. Have a beverage or a treat to mark the occasion. Then let’s all get back to work together on the many things left to do!