A pet project of the outgoing Biden administration has been doling out billions of taxpayer dollars to expand high-speed internet access across the country. Tennessee will receive more than $800 million in federal funds to connect “unserved and underserved” residents to broadband, causing local governments and electric co-ops to see dollar signs. Many are seeking these taxpayer dollars to build broadband internet networks paid for by taxpayers and managed by local governments. But are government owned networks (GONs) the best way to expand high-speed internet access?
A recent report from the Beacon Center of Tennessee suggests the answer is no. It highlights the financial difficulties, risks to taxpayers, and chronic underperformance of government-owned broadband networks across the state.
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