The State Broadband Leaders Network (SBLN) has created an interactive map of broadband plans and initiatives by state. It’s similar to the work recently gather by the Pew’s State Broadband Policy Explorer. Pew’s work would be helpful if you wanted to take a deep dive into a state’s (or a few states) broadband policy. It’s also well organized if you want to compare specific policies – like you has statewide policy or activity on pole attachments.
SBLN has a clickable map where you can get a high level look at what’s happening in each state. Over the weekend, I took a deeper dive into that info to come up with a quick comparison what states are doing in terms of speed goals and committed funding. Unfortunately, it’s not an apples to apples comparison. Some states have been investing for years. Some state of speed goals where others don’t have goals but at least they have defined broadband. Some states set goals last year, some set them a few years ago. The age of those goals is showing.
The other issue is that the information is often buried in a state website. I did a comparison of state initiatives back in 2016 so I knew that would be an issue. I decided to make this a quicker job so there’s a larger margin of error but there are also resources (State Broadband Leaders Network (SBLN) and State Broadband Policy Explorer) to get more info now. But for a high level look this version is easy to take in.
From a very high level, I think the FCC and Minnesota have set the bar. You’ll see a lot of goals of 25/3 Mbps, which is the FCC standard and Minnesota’s 2022 state goal. You’ll see a bunch of states with question marks; those are states where I didn’t see a lot of state level activity. And there were a few standouts for speed:
- Washington 150/150 by 2028
- Hawaii Gig by 2018
- Iowa 100/100
- Vermont 100/100 by 2024
And for funding:
- California $645 million
- Illinois $400 million
- Indiana $100 million
- New York $500 million
Minnesota has been a leader in the field. The “Minnesota Model” has been touted for over a year now and I saw it mentioned in a few footnotes in other states. But to continue to be a leader, it may be time to freshen up the goals and the commitment.
Here’s the comparison:
| State | Goals/Investment |
| Alabama | 10/1 |
| Alaska | ? |
| Arizona | Fund: $3 M |
| Arkansas | Speed: 25/3
Fund: $25 M |
| California | Speed: 10/1 by 2022
Fund: $645 M |
| Colorado | Speed: 25/3
Fund: $20 M since 2016 |
| Connecticut | ? |
| Delaware | ? |
| Florida | ? |
| Georgia | Speed: 25/3 |
| Hawaii | Speed: Gig by 2018
Fund: $20 M |
| Idaho | ? |
| Illinois | Speed: 100/20 by 2028
Fund: $400 M |
| Indiana | Speed: 100/10
Fund: $100 M |
| Iowa | Speed: 100/100
Fund: $5 M |
| Kansas | ? |
| Kentucky | ? |
| Louisiana | Speed: 100/100 by 2029 |
| Maine | Speed: 25/3
Fund: $13 M |
| Maryland | Fund: $10 M |
| Massachusetts | Speed: 25/3
Fund: $40 M |
| Michigan | Speed: Gig by 2026
Fund: $20 M |
| Minnesota | Speed: 100/20 by 2026
Fund: $40 M |
| Mississippi | ? |
| Missouri | Speed: 25/3
Fund: $5 |
| Montana | Fund: match for e-rate |
| Nebraska | Speed: 10/1
Fund: USF for hospitals |
| Nevada | Fund: $2 M for schools |
| New Hampshire | ? |
| New Jersey | ? |
| New Mexico | Speed: 4/1 – but 100 Mpbs for business |
| New York | Speed: 25/3 in remote areas
Fund: $500 M |
| North Carolina | Speed: 25/3
Fund: $10 M |
| North Dakota | ? |
| Ohio | ? |
| Oklahoma | ? |
| Oregon | ? |
| Pennsylvania | Speed: 25/3 |
| Rhode Island | Fund: $15 M e-rate match |
| South Carolina | ? |
| South Dakota | Speed: 25/3 by 2022 and to be #1 in the nation |
| Tennessee | Speed: 25/3
Fund: $20 M in 2020 |
| Texas | Speed: 25/3 |
| Utah | ? |
| Vermont | Speed: 100/100 by 2024
Fund: $20 M |
| Virginia | Speed: 25/3 by 2022
Fund: $19 M |
| Washington | Speed: 150/150 by 2028
Fund: $20 M in 2019 |
| West Virginia | Speed: 25/3
Fund: $1.5 M |
| Wisconsin | Speed: 25/3
Fund: $48 M |
| Wyoming | Speed: 25/3 residential Gig/100 Mbps business
Fund: $10 M |
