Broadband Policy

On Topic

High-speed internet access has developed rapidly in the last decade and is increasingly viewed as essential infrastructure for the global economy. In the last six years, the number of broadband lines in the U.S. has increased from just 4 million to more than 53 million, while other countries are pulling even farther ahead. Brookings experts are examining the effects on jobs here and abroad, as well as new efforts to regulate the telecommunications industry.

A woman uses wireless Internet on a laptop. (REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen)

Past Event

Broadband Technology Opportunities Program

January 16, 2013

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included approximately $4 billion for the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), administered by the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). On January 16, Governance Studies at Brookings provided an update on the BTOP program's roughly 230 projects working to increase broadband access and adoption around the country. Keynote remarks by NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling were followed by a panel of officials from BTOP projects that provided firsthand accounts from around the country.