January 11, 2017
America’s broadband networks are no longer merely the vital link binding our businesses, communities and families, they also have become the indispensable welding tool required to safeguard, optimize and future-proof our nation’s infrastructure, wrote USTelecom President and CEO Jonathan Spalter in a new op-ed published by Morning Consult.
Broadband companies have invested more in America’s infrastructure over the last two decades than any other sector of our economy – $1.5 trillion and counting, Spalter writes. But the industry needs a change from regressive policy decisions that have discouraged investments in new and improved broadband networks. There also needs to be regulatory parity so companies using different technologies to offer connectivity are free from dated, discriminatory rules.
If we are to connect everyone, there needs to be a national commitment to that vision, Spalter says. “Our nation must remain fully committed to seeing every citizen, including in rural areas that require public support has broadband service,” he writes. Government officials at all levels across the U.S. can help make it easier to deploy new networks by streamlining permitting or “dig once” policies.
For more: Morning Consult – The Next National Infrastructure Push Must Be Powered by Broadband.