Based on agency-reported data from the last three data collections, NTIA identified three high-level findings about the growth of federal broadband investments in size, scope, and impact.

1. Increased Appropriated Funds for Broadband to Close the Digital Divide

Reported federal broadband appropriated funding increased by $62.6 billion between FY 2020 and FY 2022, from $1.7 billion in FY 2020 to $64.3 billion in FY 2022.

Growth in Broadband Outlays
(FY 2021 - FY 2022)

Appropriated Broadband Funds by Agencies with Most Funding for Broadband
(FY 2022)

A significant portion of newly reported broadband funding appropriations went to NTIA’s new programs ($48.2B), the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Affordable Connectivity Program ($14.2B), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) broadband programs ($1.9B). This significant increase was due to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).⁵

2. Growth in Broadband Obligations and Outlays

Reported broadband outlays increased substantially between FY 2021 and FY 2022, increasing from $6.7 billion in FY 2021 to $14.7 billion in FY 2022. See the Growth in Broadband Outlays (FY 2021 - FY 2022) graph below. For agencies and programs able to differentiate broadband obligations – broadband funds awarded by purpose in FY 2022 – investments in digital inclusion or adoption made up the largest portion ($11.8 billion), followed by infrastructure deployment investments ($11.4 billion) and investments in planning, data, and mapping ($60 million).

Growth in Broadband Outlays
(FY 2021 - FY 2022)

Broadband Obligations by Purpose
(FY 2022)

The largest broadband obligations for broadband infrastructure in FY 2022 came from the FCC ($6.6B), USDA ($1.8B), NTIA ($1.5B), and Treasury ($1.4B).⁶

3. Expansion of New Affordability Programs and Growth in Broadband Connections

Growth in FCC Broadband Outlays by Program
(FY 2021 - FY 2022)

Fiscal Year 2022 data demonstrates the beginning of significant new broadband affordability programs for low-income households. For example, 39% of the increase in the FCC’s broadband outlays came from a $2.3 billion outlay for the Affordable Connectivity Program, which replaced the COVID-19 pandemic Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. The FCC also outlayed $553 million for the Lifeline program, which provides subsidized phone service and broadband to low-income consumers to ensure that all Americans have the securities and opportunities connectivity brings, including access to jobs, family, and emergency services.⁷

In addition, projected broadband subscriptions for households grew from FY 2021 to FY 2022. Collecting data on the number of people, households, and businesses connected by federal broadband investments each year continues to pose a challenge for agency personnel, but some agencies, like the USDA, have the capacity to provide projected broadband subscription estimates over the last three fiscal years. Data reported by the USDA demonstrate a considerable increase in projected households impacted by broadband subscriptions in FY 2022.

Through USDA broadband infrastructure programs, household counts in funded service areas for broadband infrastructure build outs increased from 68,943 households in FY 2021 to 132,443 households in FY 2022.

Growth in Funded Service Area Household Counts
(FY 2021 - FY 2022)

Growth in Projected Household Subscriptions
(FY 2021 - FY 2022)

From broadband projects awarded, USDA projects that household subscribers increased from 27,350 households in FY 2021 to 87,631 households in FY 2022.