Broadband Interagency Coordination Act of 2019

Economic Questions:

• Increasing efficiency requires being able to compare the cost-effectiveness of various programs. Could the Act include mechanisms to evaluate the different broadband subsidy programs? The FCC and USDA do not have coherent evaluation mechanisms. An independent evaluator (GAO or NAS, perhaps?) could help determine which programs work, which do not, and how cost-effective each is.

• With evaluations in hand, as discussed in the bullet above, would the Act make it possible to reduce funding to the least cost-effective programs or reallocate to the most cost-effective?

Summary:

Introduced by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). The Act instructs the FCC, NTIA, and USDA to coordinate the distribution of federal funds for broadband deployment. The goal is to reduce overbuilding, increase efficiency of fund use, and target unserved/underserved areas.

Supporters say that better coordination will help expand availability without wasting government funds. 

This bill has been ordered and reported, and was sent for consideration on May 15, 2019.

References and Further Reading:

Wicker and Klobuchar Introduce Broadband Interagency Coordination Act

U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., today introduced the "Broadband Interagency Coordination Act of 2019." The legislation would direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and the U.S.

Wicker, Klobuchar Introduce Broadband Interagency Coordination Act | Inside Towers

Senators Roger Wicker, (R-MS), Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Amy Klobuchar, (D-MN), Thursday introduced the "Broadband Interagency Coordination Act of 2019." The legislation would direct the FCC, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to enter into a memorandum of understanding to coordinate the distribution ...