U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) identified broadband internet deployment as the infrastructure challenge of the decade during a subcommittee hearing that she convened on Wednesday to explore hurdles to nationwide broadband deployment.
Blackburn, the chairwoman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, was joined by U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, in probing the “digital divide” that has left rural America without broadband internet access.
The hearing focused on the impact the Federal Communications Commission’s changing definition of broadband has had on nationwide deployment, as well as data collection and broadband mapping efforts to measure progress.
“We must be good stewards of taxpayer money by ensuring that there is access to accurate data so that areas with the greatest need for broadband services are targeted by public and private investments,” Blackburn said.
She noted the undeniable educational benefits that come with disseminating broadband access and underscored the economic benefits, as well. The growth of “smart cities” connected by broadband could lead to a $500 billion U.S. economic impact over 10 years, according to a report by Accenture.
During the hearing, Walden said it was important to improve the accuracy of mapping broadband coverage to identify parts of the country that lack internet access.
Walden noted that if most Americans were asked if they have broadband access that meets the FCC’s definition, most of them wouldn’t know.
“If you ask them whether they get internet access to match their needs, they can probably give you a quick yes or no answer,” Walden said. “That should be our primary objective as policy makers looking to allocate federal resources — accounting for consumer demand, putting the consumer first, and getting the most people the best access to a productive level of internet service. People in the most remote parts of our country, including in Oregon and other unserved parts of our country, would tell you they’d be happy to just have a connection. Some of them do not have that today.”
In terms of mapping broadband coverage across the country, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 allocated $293 million to the State Broadband Initiative, which various states have used to support public-private partnerships tasked with generating broadband maps. However, those data collection efforts have been insufficient, Blackburn said.
“… A GAO analysis of the ARRA’s implementation revealed that data collection methods needed improvement in order to be more effective,” Blackburn added. “In short, billions in taxpayer money was spent on broadband deployment by the last administration, but failed to achieve desired results as little more than 183,000 miles of network infrastructure was built.”
Walden noted that funds for broadband deployment in the ARRA were released before maps were drawn, which led to $3 billion in federal investments with unclear results.
“I hope this time when we look at infrastructure expansion in America to connect places that we get the mapping first,” Walden said. “That we focus on the areas that are unserved first. That we connect this country to one of the most important economic and social tools in our history.”