Broadband: National Strategy Needed to Guide Federal Efforts to Reduce Digital Divide
Fast Facts
Broadband internet is increasingly critical for work, school, shopping, and other parts of daily life. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the "digital divide" and the disadvantages for people who don't have access.
In its efforts to expand broadband access, the federal government has subsidized investment in rural areas that haven't attracted private investment. We identified over 100 federal programs—administered by 15 agencies—that could be used to expand access.
However, the number of programs has led to a fragmented, overlapping patchwork of funding. We recommended synchronizing federal efforts with a national broadband strategy, and more.
Highlights
What GAO Found
Federal broadband efforts are fragmented and overlapping, with more than 100 programs administered by 15 agencies. Many programs have broadband as their main purpose, and several overlap because they can be used for the purpose of broadband deployment, as shown in the figure. Programs can also help with planning infrastructure, making service affordable, providing devices, and building digital skills. Despite numerous programs and federal investment $44 billion from 2015 through 2020, millions of Americans still lack broadband, and communities with limited resources may be most affected by fragmentation.
The Mosaic of 25 Federal Programs with Broadband as a Main Purpose, as of November 2021, by Purpose Category
Agency officials said programmatic differences, including some set by statute, limit their ability to align programs. For example, programs may have differing definitions of eligible areas, populations, and broadband speeds. In 2018, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) led an interagency group that reviewed differing program definitions. However, NTIA did not identify which statutory provisions limit alignment nor recommend any changes. NTIA is responsible for coordinating telecommunications matters across the executive branch and at the end of 2020 gained additional responsibilities for improving broadband coordination. Improved alignment is needed to help address fragmentation and overlap. Without legislative proposals for Congress to consider, agencies may continue to face limitations in aligning programs to close the digital divide.
The U.S. broadband efforts are not guided by a national strategy with clear roles, goals, objectives, and performance measures. In 2021, the Executive Office of the President, through the National Economic Council and in collaboration with other White House offices, took the lead for coordinating broadband programs. The Executive Office of the President has not decided if a national strategy is needed, but it is well positioned to develop and implement one. A strategy to help better align programs could also include legislative proposals for Congress. Without such a strategy, federal broadband efforts will not be fully coordinated, and thereby continue to risk overlap and duplication of effort.
Why GAO Did This Study
Broadband is critical for daily life. It provides a digital lifeline to education, work, and healthcare. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgent need for broadband access for all Americans. The President set a goal for universal broadband access by 2030.
GAO was asked to review federal broadband efforts. This report examines: (1) fragmentation and overlap among federal broadband programs and potential limitations to improved alignment and (2) the extent to which interagency coordination efforts are guided by a strategy, among other objectives.
GAO inventoried and analyzed broadband programs and interviewed 50 stakeholders, including broadband providers and local officials. GAO compared interagency coordination efforts to characteristics of a national strategy and reviewed relevant statutes, regulations, and agency documents. GAO also interviewed federal officials from agencies with broadband programs about their programs and coordination efforts.
Recommendations
GAO is making three recommendations, including (1) that NTIA identify key statutory limitations to program alignment and develop legislative proposals as appropriate, and (2) that the Executive Office of the President develop and implement a national broadband strategy. NTIA agreed with our recommendations. The Executive Office of the President did not take a position on our recommendation.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| National Telecommunications and Information Administration | The NTIA Administrator should direct the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth, to consult with OMB, other White House offices, and relevant agencies and present to Congress a report that identifies the key statutory provisions that limit the beneficial alignment of broadband programs and offers legislative proposals to address the limitations, as appropriate. (Recommendation 1) |
Federal broadband efforts are fragmented and overlapping, but agency officials said programmatic differences, including some set by statute, limited their ability to align programs. In May 2022, GAO recommended NTIA present to Congress a report that identifies the key statutory provisions that limit the beneficial alignment of broadband programs and offer legislative proposals to address the limitations. In January 2024, NTIA officials said that NTIA had drafted a report about the barriers to aligning broadband programs with input from relevant federal agencies. They said that NTIA is finalizing the draft report and plans to submit it to OMB for interagency review. NTIA officials stated that NTIA plans to provide this report to Congress by May 31, 2026. By completing a report that identifies the key statutory provisions to broadband program alignment and offers legislative proposals, NTIA will help provide Congress with actionable information about ways to manage broadband program fragmentation and overlap.
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| National Telecommunications and Information Administration | The NTIA Administrator should direct the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth to regularly seek and incorporate user feedback when updating the BroadbandUSA Federal Funding Guide. (Recommendation 2) |
As of January 2024, NTIA officials said that NTIA regularly requests feedback from federal partners about the BroadbandUSA Federal Funding Guide website. NTIA officials noted that NTIA has not received any external stakeholder feedback requests regarding the BroadbandUSA Federal Funding Guide website or related resources during the past year. NTIA officials said that requesting external stakeholder input-such as from the State Broadband Leaders Network, Digital Equity Leaders Network, and Tribal Broadband Leaders Network-is planned for the annual BroadbandUSA website update. NTIA plans to begin the BroadbandUSA annual update process after the fiscal year 2024 budget is finalized. GAO will continue to monitor NTIA's efforts to address this recommendation.
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| Executive Office of the President | Executive Office of the President, through NEC, should develop and implement a national broadband strategy with clear roles, goals, objectives, and performance measures to support better management of fragmented, overlapping federal broadband programs and synchronize coordination efforts. This strategy may identify key statutory provisions that limit program alignment and offer legislative proposals to address the limitations. (Recommendation 3) |
As of April 2024, the Executive Office of the President continues to lead broadband coordination across multiple agencies, through the administration's Internet for All Initiative. The Internet for All Initiative website documents the administration's overarching goal of universal access to reliable and affordable high-speed broadband internet service. The Internet for All Initiative website also lists key broadband funding programs across agencies, identifies federal broadband funding awards by state and territory, and tracks the challenge process of the $42.45 million Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program, among other things. In April 2024, EOP defined its own role as and the roles of the leadership committee and a federal interagency group. EOP officials also described how agencies have taken steps to coordinate overlapping broadband programs, through a multi-step process and shared mapping. For example, according to its website the National Broadband Availability Map uses data from multiple federal agencies, states, and the private sector-to better inform broadband funding decisions. These actions address some elements of GAO's recommendation, but EOP has not developed a strategy that includes all actions to implement the recommendation. For example, the shared policy objectives that EOP identified are not framed as measurable actions, and EOP has not developed related performance measures. A holistic national strategy is needed to ensure that coordination efforts accomplish identified goals.
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