TPI President Raises Concerns About IIJA Broadband Spending

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s funding to expand access to broadband may have a “very big” net economic impact because “the broadband is missing in areas that aren’t going to add a lot of economic value,” said Technology Policy Institute President Scott Wallsten during a Georgetown University Center for Business and Public Policy webinar Tuesday. It’s still “worthwhile” because it’s “an equity issue,” Wallsten said, and there are “still lots of areas in the country that don’t have access or have subpar access to broadband.” Wallsten said the funding “may have positive local economic effects,” such as helping small towns attract businesses and residents,” but he raised concerns about there being “too many objectives” beyond “providing the most broadband we can for the amount of money that we have.” There also hasn’t been enough focus on program evaluation, he said: “That’s kind of being ignored and I’m worried about that.” Wallsten also raised concerns about the FCC’s broadband maps and the challenge process underway for the broadband serviceable location fabric: “It’s really unclear what’s going on with the map right now.”