Fiber Broadband Association, NTCA Publish Broadband Infrastructure Playbook to Help States Prepare for Historic Investments

WASHINGTON, D.C.—(February 28, 2022)—The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) and NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association today announced the release of the Broadband Infrastructure Playbook, a comprehensive guide designed to assist state broadband offices in making efficient and effective use of federal funds made available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Developed in cooperation with global telecom consulting firm Cartesian, the Broadband Infrastructure Playbook outlines and recommends broadband grant program structures consistent with IIJA objectives and identifies successful examples from the high-performing state broadband programs over the past several years.

The FBA, NTCA and Cartesian will host a webinar focused on the Playbook this week:

“Introducing the Broadband Infrastructure Playbook”

Friday, March 4th at 12:00PM (Eastern)

Please register here to attend and to receive your copy of the Broadband Infrastructure Playbook at the conclusion of the webinar.

“America’s future depends on universal connectivity to essential, reliable, robust infrastructures and with the rapid expansion of the global digital economy, broadband infrastructure is now more critical than ever,” said Gary Bolton, President and CEO at the Fiber Broadband Association. “The industry now has the resources, resolve and direction to achieve this goal. The Fiber Broadband Association and NTCA have teamed together to help ensure the states and broadband providers have the tools they need to best leverage this opportunity so that everyone, everywhere can access a brighter, more equitable future.”

“We are on the precipice of once-in-a-generation funding and we need to help make the most of this broadband moment,” said Shirley Bloomfield, NTCA Chief Executive Officer. “Our goal with the Broadband Infrastructure Playbook is to provide a valuable resource to the states and territories by outlining key parts of the IIJA, sharing best practices from state broadband programs that have worked well in the past, and seeking to promote consistency and the best possible results out of this process. If done right, the IIJA could provide a digital foundation for economic growth and innovation across the country through infrastructure that is built to last.”

The IIJA makes the largest single federal broadband investment in history with $65B in funding, covering four key areas: (1) deployment of future-proof connectivity to all Americans; (2) broadband subsidies for low-income users; (3) accelerating the country’s progress toward addressing both broadband access and adoption challenges; and (4) funding to address digital training and literacy. These initiatives are all highly dependent on decisions that each state will make as it determines how to utilize these funds to build its critical broadband infrastructure. Largely focused on the $42.45B NTIA Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment (BEAD) program, the Broadband Infrastructure Playbook shares best practices, guidance on the application process, grant program design insight and recommendations on how to best run a successful state grant program.

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About the Fiber Broadband Association

The Fiber Broadband Association is the largest and only trade association that represents the complete fiber ecosystem of service providers, manufacturers, industry experts and deployment specialists dedicated to the advancement of fiber broadband deployment and the pursuit of a world where communications are limitless, advancing quality of life and digital equity anywhere and everywhere. The Fiber Broadband Association helps providers, communities and policy makers make informed decisions about how, where and why to build better fiber broadband networks. Since 2001, these companies, organizations and members have worked with communities and consumers in mind to build the critical infrastructure that provides the economic and societal benefits that only fiber can deliver. The Fiber Broadband Association is part of the Fibre Council Global Alliance, which is a platform of six global FTTH Councils in the Americas, LATAM, Europe, MENA, and APAC. Learn more at fiberbroadband.org.

About NTCA

NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovative change in smart rural communities across America. In an era of transformative technological developments, regulatory challenges and marketplace competition, NTCA members are advancing efforts to close the digital divide by delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks. Their commitment to building sustainable networks makes rural communities fertile ground for innovation in economic development, e-commerce, health care, agriculture and education, and it contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy each year. Visit us at www.ntca.org.