February 7, 2022

Rhode Island House Innovation, Internet, & Technology Committee
Rhode Island State Capitol
82 Smith Street
Providence, RI 02903

Dear Representative,

On behalf of the 4,845 members and supporters of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste in Rhode Island, I urge you to oppose H 7083.  This legislation would restrict government broadband funding to fiber-to-the-home service, which eliminates the use of other available technologies to expand broadband to unserved and underserved communities in Rhode Island.

Any program designed to expand access to broadband should be technology and vendor neutral.  H 7083 fails to meet this goal.  The limitation to a single technology for the receipt of federal grants will hinder efforts to expand broadband development.  Broadband expansion to unserved areas, especially rural areas, requires consideration of a broad array of technologies, including cable, fiber, fixed wireless or mobile broadband, satellite broadband, and TV white space, not a “one-size fits all” policy.

In addition, the claim that fiber offers a “future proof” solution to broadband access ignores future changes in technology.  Rather than place all its eggs in the fiber basket, the Rhode Island legislature should allow each community to determine its own needs for broadband access.   

Once again, I urge you to vote against H 7083.

Sincerely,
Tom Schatz
President, CCAGW

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