November 5, 2026
As Washington prepares for a new Congress, USTelecom – The Broadband Association today released The Next Era of Connectivity: A Broadband Blueprint, a roadmap for the 120th Congress.
In an open letter to incoming lawmakers, USTelecom President and CEO Jonathan Spalter outlined three principles to guide congressional action: build without barriers, keep every community connected to fast, affordable broadband, and protect what connects us.
The blueprint lays out three guiding principles to shape the 120th Congress’s work on America’s connected future, along with practical steps to turn those principles into progress:
- Build without barriers. Include broadband in federal permitting reform, with enforceable deadlines, reasonable fees, and streamlined environmental and historic reviews to help providers build faster and connect more communities.
- Keep every community connected with affordable broadband. Preserve policies that encourage private investment and competition, affordable prices, and modernize the Universal Service Fund by expanding its contribution base to include large technology companies that benefit from broadband networks, while ensuring reliable support for rural communities.
- Protect the networks that connect us. Pass a long-term reauthorization of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA 2015), drive policies to address emerging AI-enabled cyber threats, strengthen efforts to combat illegal robocalls and copper theft, and give providers the flexibility to protect networks against evolving threats from foreign adversaries.
Americans will measure the next Congress by what positive changes it makes in their lives,” Spalter said. “More communities connected. Keeping broadband faster and affordable so people continue to get more bang for their buck. Stronger, safer networks. That’s the progress we should all be working toward.”
America’s broadband internet providers invested $92.6 billion in communications infrastructure in 2025 alone, bringing total private investment since 1996 to nearly $2.3 trillion. The blueprint lays out how Congress can build on that momentum and help bring the benefits of connectivity to communities across the country.
USTelecom will bring government and industry leaders together at its American Connectivity Forum on November 17, featuring special guests Delaware Governor Matt Meyer and FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty along with executives from AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen to discuss how to turn these priorities into action.