Michael Powell Op-Ed: “The Smartest Way to Bring Broadband to All”

In 2021, Congress approved the largest investment ever to support broadband expansion with the federal Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program that will distribute over $42 billion to the states in the coming months.

But while disbursement of this historic funding is a step in the right direction, ensuring that the BEAD program is a success will take significant diligence to ensure that the program stays laser-focused on completing its mission of delivering broadband to those without it. That's the message of an op-ed published in Governing by Michael Powell, President and CEO of NCTA - The Internet & Television Association.

"Money alone is not cause for excessive celebration," said Powell. "While it does create an opportunity to connect every home, school, hospital and small business to digital opportunity, it will take superb program execution and arduous construction to realize our ambition to close the digital divide."

In the column, Powell highlights the need for a collaborative effort with established ISPs to effectively allocate these funds to expand broadband access to underserved communities.

"Expanding broadband networks to the unserved, hardest-to-reach parts of the country is a daunting task fraught with logistical, financial and technical challenges. Across hundreds of broadband deployment projects nationwide, ISPs must tackle physical hardship, uncompromising terrain and weather, and countless other unexpected trials to bring this critical infrastructure to unconnected communities," noted Powell.

The new docufilm, "Every Last Mile: The Untold Story of Connecting Rural America," explores the on-the-ground reality of what it takes to extend networks to remote areas.

Read the full piece for Powell's expert insight on the smartest way to bring broadband to all of America.