State of the States 2020: Broadband Is Critical Infrastructure
Source: Gov Tech Published: Feb. 3rd 2020
The nation’s governors are delving into their varied policy priorities for the coming year, but a new shared reality is emerging: Governors are committed to ensuring that everyone has access to the Internet.
The tradition in most states is for governors to begin the year with the broadest agenda-setting speech they will deliver: the State of the State address. For the past several years, the Government Technology editorial team has picked apart these speeches, looking for clues about new initiatives and areas of focus that will touch technology. These references can be broad, like a mention of a need to “modernize” an agency, which will likely include a tech overhaul, or they can be specific, such as a discussion about the need for more cybersecurity funding to protect citizen data. Over the years, topics like digital service delivery, cybersecurity and broadband have come up more frequently, indicating that these issues are on the minds of policymakers and the citizens they serve more than ever before.
Increasingly, governors are using their platforms to underscore the importance of making sure all residents, regardless of where they live, have options to get online. Internet access has profound impacts on opportunities in education, jobs, health care and nearly every other facet of modern life. The language used to describe getting connected has been slowly shifting: In 2020, broadband is now viewed as critical infrastructure, governors are prioritizing it as such, and it’s not a partisan issue.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, delivering his first address following his election last November, identified broadband access as a priority, while many others outlined specific budget requests for broadband: Maine Gov. Janet Mills asked for $15 million, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem spoke of a recently secured $25 million investment and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam asked lawmakers for $35 million for broadband. “Broadband has become an economic necessity for business, for education, for health care, and for everyday life,” Northam said.