ABSTRACT
Since the 1930s, the United States has relied on a decentralized system of telecommunications policy in which state and federal agencies jointly contributed to assuring universality of access to communication services. With the increasing trust in deregulation during the 1990s, the policy momentum shifted from the state to the federal level. Deregulation had mixed success, however, providing high-quality service to most Americans, but leaving many rural and low-income households behind. In response, state and local governments once again began to reassert a more active role. These efforts were bolstered by federal spending programs during the pandemic and the policy model established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill of 2021, which established a federal framework but delegated important aspects of program implementation to states. This chapter discusses these institutional realignments and how the incoming administration might affect broadband policy.
