I was pleased to receive a letter, dated December 6, 2022, from Senator John Thune, a longtime member of the Senate Commerce Committee and former chairman of the committee, seeking responses to a wide-ranging set of questions relating to the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and other programs disbursing funds to advance broadband deployment, as well as questions focused more generally on broadband issues.
As Senator Thune points out, "the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently found that broadband funding is spread out over 15 separate agencies and more than 130 separate programs." As he rightly observes, the fragmented approach the federal government has taken to address the digital divide raises a number of concerns." Thus, Senator Thune states that "it is imperative Congress exercises its oversight responsibilities and seeks feedback on how best to expand broadband services in the most effective, efficient, and fiscally responsive manner so that we can close the digital divide once and for all."
I couldn't agree more on the need for congressional oversight of the various programs providing funds for broadband. Over the past year, Free State Foundation scholars have published many papers addressing many of the issues raised by Senator Thune in his letter. [For one recent example, see Andrew Long, "Absent Oversight, the Broadband Funding Faucet Likely Will Overflow," and the many other FSF papers cited therein published by Mr. Long, Seth Cooper, and me, on broadband funding-related issues.]
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