NRRI Finds Many State Efforts to Drive Broadband

States are driving broadband deployment and adoption in many ways, the National Regulatory Research Institute said in a Friday paper. They include “direct funding, partnering across state agencies and industry to fund broadband build-out, ‘retooling’ state USF rules to include broadband deployment in programs like Lifeline, and refocusing existing universal service funds from voice support to broadband build out, particularly in those areas where competition allows the state to divert high cost funds from subsidizing incumbent carriers to supporting broadband deployment,” NRRI said. States participated in NTIA broadband mapping and some, including Virginia and Nebraska, are using state funds to keep maps up to date, it said. Some states set up state broadband councils and task forces to develop strategies, but while useful, “they are often separate from the state public utility commissions and thus may not benefit from their direct knowledge of consumer needs and issues,” it said. State legislation this year has increased funding for broadband deployment, created tax incentives for companies and supported public-private partnerships, it said. Moving forward, states must respond to broadband replacing voice as the main focus of the federal USF and determine how to measure and improve broadband adoption and how to coordinate various state broadband authorities, NRRI said.