Federal Broadband Funding Is Expanding Coverage and Competition
New CostQuest analysis found federally funded areas are increasingly served by multiple providers
WASHINGTON, August 3, 2026 – Nearly 3.5 million more U.S. homes and businesses that don't have broadband internet have been tentatively promised funding to get it as of June 2026, under a federal infrastructure program.
The forward-looking signal is one of many from a new report on how internet access is changing across the U.S., released Thursday by CostQuest Associates. The report found that the number of locations lacking full broadband access fell by roughly 1 million between June and December 2025, with millions more locations now positioned for service through preliminary awards issued under the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program.
