News - October 16, 2020

INCOMPAS Releases New Broadband Blueprint Paper: How to Achieve Universal Availability

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 16, 2020) – Now more than ever, local communities want and need universal broadband coverage for their students, small businesses and heathcare workers. COVID-19 has exposed deep gaps in Americans’ ability to access the internet, and it’s time for policy makers at the federal, state and local levels of government to take action.

In a new policy paper and Medium blog post released today, INCOMPAS is looking to provide a roadmap for policy makers looking to access federal funds and attract private investment.  INCOMPAS, the internet and competitive networks trade association, advocates for broadband competition and represents local fiber and wireless builders as well as the nation’s leading streaming, internet and cloud providers. INCOMPAS is the lead advocate for policies that spur competition and local deployment, including “dig once,” “one touch make ready,” and small cell streamlining for 5G. It is also leading the effort to raise broadband speed benchmarks up to a 1 Gigabit standard.

The new paper, Broadband Blueprint: How to Achieve Universal Availability calls for Congress to act and make $100 billion in federal funding available to local communities. It also introduces six principles for states and local communities looking to kick-start their deployment efforts. These six principles include:

  • Add networks, not fees
  • Streamline deployment
  • Internet for all
  • Better data/maps
  • Competition for funding
  • Future proof networks
The paper’s lead author, Angie Kronenberg, INCOMPAS Chief Advocate and General Counsel, said the mission to achieve universal availability is a lofty, but mandatory goal. “Stories about kids doing homework in parking lots because they lack access to fast, affordable broadband at home are a national tragedy. Our paper is unique in that it asks policy makers to harness the power of an internet and streaming-driven economy to better unlock local deployment opportunities. We have the ability and responsibility as Americans to go big and bold on broadband. Now is the time and we hope this paper serves as a roadmap for our nation,” Kronenberg added.

Download a copy of the paper.

Read the Medium blog post from Chip Pickering.