Thanks to $1.7 trillion in investment from the private sector, 94% of Americans have access to high speed internet. While this is a great accomplishment, bringing access to the 6% of unserved Americans is still a priority for all.
As many state and local officials across the country have learned the hard way, government entities are not suited to take on this task. “Dozens of local governments have tried to build out broadband networks over the years,” explained Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “These massively subsidized efforts attracted corruption, did not deliver on promises, and where they did not fail outright, had to be propped up with even more tax dollars.”
The private sector is best positioned to bring access to unserved communities. A new paper by Americans for Tax Reform, Six Things States Can Do to Promote Private Sector Investment in Broadband, details six ways state lawmakers can remove some of the government barriers that inhibit private sector investment in broadband.
To view the paper, please click here.