NARUC task force releases draft recommendations to improve U.S. broadband service

A new set of draft recommendations released this week by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Broadband Expansion Task Force tackled five areas the organization believes will help guarantee better accessibility and close service gaps.

Proposed recommendations focused on broadband mapping, enhancing broadband program coordination, guaranteeing broadband providers meet obligations, supporting non-traditional providers, and adopting broadband services. More specifically, the task force recommended increasing state commissions’ presence and participation in National Telecommunications and Information Administration initiatives and removing barriers to electric and gas utilities’ broadband service capabilities in underserved areas via legislation, among other items.

“While task force members understood this need in the pre-COVID world, the importance of universal broadband has been emphasized repeatedly over this past year as an integral part of working remotely, receiving education at home, accessing medical professionals through telehealth applications, and participating in an increasingly prevalent remote purchaser economy,” Chris Nelson, task force chairman and chair of the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, said. “Our work is meant to give state utility commissioners tools to hasten broadband availability for everyone in this country.”

The Broadband Expansion Task Force has been working since last year to promote the importance of broadband expansion throughout the country. Its members, which consist of U.S> state utility commissioners, intend to hold an open virtual meeting on June 2 for stakeholder insights into its draft recommendations, with a complete report and finalized recommendations expected to follow in July.