목차
Title page
Contents
Highlights 2
Letter 5
Background 9
Broadband Service Terminology 9
The Digital Divide 9
Federal Agencies That Provide Support for Broadband Access 11
Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication 13
Fragmented, Overlapping Broadband Programs May Require Statutory Changes to Align Programs toward Common Outcomes 15
Fragmented Broadband Programs Have Overlapping Purposes 16
Fragmented, Overlapping Programs Risk Duplication, Which Agencies Seek to Minimize 19
Improving Program Alignment May Require Statutory Changes 25
Stakeholders Face Challenges Using Federal Broadband Programs, Including Identifying Relevant Programs 28
Difficulty Determining Relevant Programs despite NTIA's Guide to Broadband Programs 28
Difficulty Using Programs in a Complementary Way 30
Unintended Results of Restrictions Intended to Avoid Duplicative Funding 30
Interagency Coordination Is Not Guided by a National Strategy 31
Coordination Efforts Are Varied and Increasing 31
No Current National Broadband Strategy Guides Agencies' Efforts 35
Conclusions 38
Recommendations for Executive Action 39
Agency Comments 39
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 41
Appendix II: Inventory of Federal Broadband Programs 48
Appendix III: Federal Broadband Investments, Fiscal Years 2015-2020 62
Appendix IV: Comments from the Department of Commerce 64
Appendix V: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 66
Table 1. List of Entities and People Interviewed 44
Table 2. Programs That Have Broadband as the Main Purpose 48
Table 3. New Programs That Have Broadband as the Main Purpose, as of November 2021 51
Table 4. Programs That Have Broadband as One Possible Purpose 54
Table 5. Federal Broadband Funding Awarded, Fiscal Years (FY) 2015-2020 62
Figure 1. Broadband Service Terminology 9
Figure 2. Definitions of Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication 14
Figure 3. Federal Programs that Provide Broadband Funding, as of November 2021, by Purpose and Agency 17
Figure 4. The 25 Federal Programs That Have Broadband as a Main Purpose, as of November 2021, by Purpose Category 20
Figure 5. Illustrative Example of Overlapping Broadband Program Service Areas 22
