Wicker, Others File Bill Mandating White House National Broadband Strategy

GAO recommended in late May. Reps. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., filed the House companion. The GAO believes a national strategy is needed because 15 federal agencies administer more than 100 broadband connectivity programs, causing some overlap (see 2206010068). The bill says the national strategy must “support better management of Federal broadband programs to deliver on the goal of providing high speed, affordable broadband” to everyone in the U.S., “synchronize interagency coordination among” federal broadband programs, coordinate on approving grants “of an easement, right of way, or lease to, in, over, or on a building or any other property owned by the Federal Government for the right to install, construct, modify, or maintain” broadband infrastructure and “reduce barriers, lower costs, and ease administrative burdens for State, local, and Tribal governments to participate in Federal broadband programs.” The strategy would be due within one year of the measure’s enactment, with the White House submitting an implementation plan 120 days after the strategy’s release. “A national broadband strategy will ensure our agencies are synchronized and manage these programs effectively to make sure that more Americans gain access to high-speed broadband," Wicker said. The bill “will help improve coordination between federal agencies and local and Tribal governments to deliver on the funding we made available to build high speed, affordable broadband,” Lujan said. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr praised lawmakers for filing the legislation. “This is a vital bill that would fill a key gap in the federal government’s approach to broadband infrastructure spending,” he said. "The lack of a national coordinating strategy coupled with the absence of performance and accountability measures will result in wasted dollars and families stuck on the wrong side of the digital divide."