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Updated June 6, 2019
Broadband Deployment: Status and Federal Programs
Broadband—whether delivered via fiber, cable modem,
Table 2. Percentage of Americans With Multiple
mobile or fixed wireless, copper wire, or satellite—is
Options for Fixed Terrestrial Broadband (25/3 Mbps)
increasingly the technology underlying telecommunications
No provider 1 provider 2 providers 3 or more
services such as voice, video, and data. Since the initial
deployment of high-speed internet in the late 1990s,
Nationwide
6.6%
29.4%
43.5%
20.5%
broadband technologies have been deployed throughout the
Urban
1.9%
25.8%
48.4%
24%
United States primarily by the private sector. These
providers include telephone, cable, wireless, and satellite
Rural
26.4%
44.4%
23.1%
6.1%
companies as well as other entities that provide broadband
services to residential, business, and institutional customers.
Tribal
32.1%
36.3%
20.8%
10.8%
Source: CRS, derived from FCC Fixed Broadband Deployment Map,
The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) 2010
data as of December 2017. (https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/)
National Broadband Plan identified broadband as a basic
infrastructure necessary for improving economic growth,
Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (P.L.
job creation, civic engagement, global competitiveness, and
104-104) requires the FCC to regularly initiate an inquiry
a better quality of life. Broadband enables or enhances
and release a report (commonly called the “706 report”)
applications such as e-commerce, telemedicine, distance
assessing the status of broadband deployment to all
education, telework, entertainment, public safety, and
Americans. In its 2019 Broadband Deployment Report, the
energy conservation. Increasingly viewing broadband as a
FCC concluded that broadband is being deployed to all
basic infrastructure, Congress and successive
Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion, asserting that
Administrations have focused on addressing gaps
FCC policies are continuing to remove barriers to
specifically related to broadband availability and adoption.
infrastructure investment and promote competition in the
Broadband availability refers to whether or not broadband
telecommunications market.
service is offered, while broadband adoption refers to the
extent to which American households actually subscribe to
The FCC determined that the current speed benchmark of
and use broadband.
25 Mbps/3 Mbps remains an appropriate measure by which
to assess whether a fixed service provides advanced
Availability
telecommunications capability. Regarding mobile
The lack of adequate broadband is most pressing in rural
broadband, the FCC found that adoption of a single mobile
America (especially tribal lands), where the costs of serving
benchmark is still currently unworkable, given certain data
large geographical areas, coupled with low population
limitations and the inherent variability of mobile services.
densities, often reduce economic incentives for
As with its 2018 Report, the FCC concluded that mobile
telecommunications providers to invest in and maintain
broadband service is not a full substitute for fixed service at
broadband infrastructure and service. According to the
this time.
latest FCC data, in Dec. 2017, 93.5% of Americans had
fixed terrestrial broadband (e.g., fiber and cable modem
Adoption
connections) at minimum speeds of 25 Mbps (download
The National Broadband Plan also identified broadband
speed)/3 Mbps (upload speed). Table 1 shows the
adoption as a problem, with a significant number of
broadband availability gap between urban, rural, and tribal
Americans having broadband available, but choosing not to
lands in recent years. Table 2 shows percentages of
subscribe. According to a November 2017 Census Bureau
Americans with access to multiple providers.
survey compiled and reported by the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration
Table 1. Percentage of Americans with Access to
(NTIA), 85.9% of American households use wired
Fixed Terrestrial Broadband (25/3 Mbps)
broadband at home. Table 3 shows that populations
2014
2015
2016
2017
continuing to lag behind in broadband adoption include
people with low incomes, certain minority populations, the
United States
89.4%
89.9%
91.9%
93.5%
less-educated, the unemployed, the disabled, and
Urban Areas
96.4%
96.7%
97.7%
98.3%
households in rural areas. According to the Pew Research
Center, in its broadband adoption survey Home Broadband
Rural Areas
60.4%
61.5%
67.8%
73.6%
2015, the cost of monthly subscriptions is the leading
reason people do not have broadband connections.
Tribal Lands
57.2%
57.8%
63.1%
67.9%
Source: FCC, 2019 Broadband Deployment Report, released May 29,
Table 3. Percentage of Households with Home
2019, p. 16, available at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-
Internet Use Having Wired Broadband Service
19-44A1.pdf.
Total U.S.
85.9%
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Broadband Deployment: Status and Federal Programs
Native American
75.0%
Farm Bill Broadband Loans. Funds the costs of
construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities
African American
80.7%
and equipment needed to provide service in eligible
Hispanic
81.5%
rural areas.
White
87.3%
ReConnect Program. Offers grants, loans, and
Unemployed
80.9%
loan/grant combinations for new or upgraded broadband
Employed
87.1%
service in areas where at least 90% of households do not
Disabled
80.7%
have adequate broadband.
Not disabled
86.6%
Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans and Loan
<$25K family income
75.3%
Guarantees. Funds the construction, maintenance,
improvement, and expansion of telephone service and
$25K-$49K
82.0%
broadband in extremely rural areas with a population of
$50K-$74K
88.1%
5,000 or fewer.
$75K-$99K
90.4%
Community Connect Grants. Funds broadband
$100K or more
92.7%
deployment in rural communities where it is not yet
No diploma
70.6%
economically viable for private-sector providers to
High-school graduate
79.3%
deliver service.
Some col ege
86.4%
Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants. Funds
Col ege graduate
92.1%
end-user equipment and broadband facilities to help
rural communities use telecommunications to link
Rural
75.6%
teachers and medical service providers in one area to
Urban
87.5%
students and patients in another.
Source: NTIA, Digital Nation Data Explorer, November 2017 data.
(https://www.ntia.doc.gov/data/digital-nation-data-explorer)
The 2018 farm bill (P.L. 115-334) included provisions
authorizing a grant component in combination with the
Federal Programs
broadband loan program; increasing the annual
Federal programs exist that can provide support for
authorization level from $25 million to $350 million; and
broadband availability and adoption to unserved and
authorizing grants, loans, and loan guarantees for middle
underserved communities and populations. NTIA has
mile infrastructure.
published a Guide to Federal Funding of Broadband
Projects and companion searchable database, which
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-141)
provides an overview of funding sources across the federal
established the $600 million ReConnect Program at RUS,
government. Major broadband funding streams are centered
appropriated $7.5 million to NTIA to update the national
in two federal entities: the FCC and the Rural Utilities
broadband availability map in coordination with the FCC,
Service (RUS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
facilitated deployment of broadband infrastructure on
Programs at the FCC include the following:
federal property, and made more spectrum available for
wireless broadband. The Consolidated Appropriations Act,
Connect America Fund (High-Cost Fund). Subsidizes 2019 (P.L. 116-6) provided an additional $550 million to
the cost of operating and extending broadband
RUS for the ReConnect Program and an additional $7.5
infrastructure to serve consumers and small businesses
million to NTIA for mapping.
in rural, high-cost areas.
For More Information
E-Rate (Schools and Libraries) Program. Provides
CRS Report RL30719, Broadband Internet Access and the
discounts of up to 90% for broadband to and within
Digital Divide: Federal Assistance Programs.
elementary and secondary schools (public and private),
and public libraries in rural and nonrural areas.
CRS Report RL33816, Broadband Loan and Grant
Programs in the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service.
Rural Health Care Program. Subsidizes broadband
connectivity for public and nonprofit health care
CRS Report R45039, Defining Broadband: Minimum
providers, with a focus on rural areas.
Threshold Speeds and Broadband Policy.
Lifeline Program. Subsidizes eligible subscribers to
Colby Leigh Rachfal, Analyst in Telecommunications
cover the recurring monthly service charges associated
Policy
with broadband subscribership; support is not given
directly to the subscriber but to the service provider.
IF10441
Programs at the RUS include the following:
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Broadband Deployment: Status and Federal Programs
Disclaimer
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