Agenda - Council - 09/13/2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

service for their household due to the high cost. These commenters argued that broadband must be affordable to be accessible. Commenters proposed several potential responses to affordability concerns. Some commenters recommended that building "gap networks," or broadband networks built at low cost to provide affordable service in areas where it is lacking, be eligible as assistance to households to respond to the negative economic impacts of the pandemic, even if they do not meet the technical standards for eligibility under the eligible use category of broadband infrastructure investment, especially the required speed standards for new service. These commenters argued that the networks have shown promise as a timely means to expand access to affordable broadband internet during the pandemic, even if they may not provide service speeds needed for more intensive internet uses. Another commenter requested eligible uses include funding cellular towers to decrease costs. One commenter recommended that affordability should be addressed through other programs but not SLFRF given that affordability and availability may require nuanced solutions that would be complex to combine. Treasury Response: The interpretive framework and enumerated eligible uses allow recipients flexibility to address identified pandemic impacts, including through solutions that take into account the particularized issues in their community. Given extensive commenter feedback on the importance of affordability to achieving broadband access, and the centrality of broadband to participating in work, education, healthcare, and other activities during the pandemic, affordability programs are an appropriate eligible use to respond to the negative economic impacts of the pandemic and Treasury is maintaining the enumerated eligible use for assistance to households for internet access and digital literacy programs in the final rule. 88