No One Approach Fits All States in Efforts to Expand Broadband Access

Editor’s note: This page is no longer being updated. For the latest information on state broadband efforts, please see Pew’s new feature, “Which States Have Dedicated Broadband Offices, Task Forces, Agencies, or Funds?”

States differ in how they manage broadband deployment and which agencies or offices they task with identifying challenges, charting goals, and encouraging investment. Some states have a centralized office responsible for managing or coordinating broadband efforts. In others, multiple agencies have jurisdiction over broadband. States have written plans, created maps, or identified goals and funding mechanisms for their broadband work; some have almost all of these, while others have few or none.

The table indicates whether a state has the following:

• Office: A centralized office for broadband projects.
• Agency: State agency(ies) involved in broadband projects.
• State task force: A formalized team—often involving multiple agencies and sectors—dedicated to broadband issues.
• Broadband plan: A document that defines objectives, and the actions to be taken to reach them.
• Broadband goal: The result that the state’s broadband program is working to achieve.
• State broadband map: A mapping effort underway to identify where broadband is and isn’t.
• State broadband fund: A funding mechanism(s).

When possible, the information below includes links to more information about state-specific projects. This information is in a sortable format. To learn about the state laws that govern these efforts, visit our State Broadband Policy Explorer.