On September 27, AEI hosted an event on federal broadband policies, featuring a conversation between AEI’s Mark Jamison and the Federal Communications Commission’s Brendan Carr and a panel featuring INCOMPAS’s Angie Kronenberg, AEI’s Daniel Lyons, Bonfire Infrastructure Group’s Jade Piros de Carvalho, and Technology Policy Institute’s Scott J. Wallsten.

The group set out to discuss the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, which was established in November 2021 as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act with $42.45 billion allocated to expand high-speed internet access across the United States. The program’s primary mission is to support states and territories in bringing reliable, affordable broadband service to unserved and underserved communities, particularly focusing on rural and tribal areas. NTIA began accepting state applications for BEAD funding in 2022, however, the arduous process and other obstacles led to significant delays. Most communities will not see benefits until 2025 at the earliest.

Read my complete take at AEI.