According to a new report from the Communications Workers of America (CWA), broadband projects funded through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) vary greatly when graded on measures of transparency in project selection, equity in access and other matters, and labor standards.
The CWA report, titled “A Report Card for Broadband Projects Funded by the American Rescue Plan,” evaluates 14 county broadband projects funded through State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF).
With 20 possible points at stake in the ratings, the results vary from one project that scored a perfect 20 to a project that scored only 3 out of 20.
The grading criteria CWA used were as follows:
Transparency:
- Was the public able to participate in how the county used the ARPA funds?
- Was project information disclosed to the public?
Equity:
- Did the provider receiving grant funds contribute any matching funds?
- Did the project participate in and publicize the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) or other subsidies?
- Was the best technology possible deployed? (In most cases, fiber broadband projects scored higher on this measure than fixed wireless projects.)
Labor standards:
- Did the project use a directly employed workforce? Was there subcontractor accountability?
- Did workers on the project have union representation?
- Were workers paid prevailing wages?
- Were there employment opportunities for local employees?
The report concludes with three recommendations for future broadband projects funded through the ARP, BEAD, and other sources:
- “States and localities should consider stakeholder involvement and public transparency in program implementation.”
- “Broadband programs should prioritize high-road labor practices by requiring, for example, prevailing wage and incorporating local employment opportunities into a scoring mechanism.”
- “Policymakers should take a long-term view in evaluating which broadband technology to build and consider both the future network costs and the benefits of fiber infrastructure.”
The report evaluates projects in Beaver County, Pennsylvania; Coshocton County, Ohio; Darlington County, South Carolina; Florence County, South Carolina; Gloucester County, Virginia; Howard County, Indiana; Johnson County, Indiana; Kenton County, Kentucky; Newton County, Georgia; Oldham County, Kentucky; Onondaga County, New York; Orange County, North Carolina; Putnam County, West Virginia; and Vanderburgh County, Indiana.
The CWA’s full report card can be found on their website.
The CWA, a union for workers in the broadband industry and several other fields, represents workers in all 50 states and several U.S. territories. In recent years, they prepared to strike against AT&T when a contract with AT&T Midwest and AT&T Legacy workers expired.
