State Broadband Bills of 2025: A Legislative Review
Across the U.S., lawmakers considered more than 600 broadband bills in 2025.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2, 2026 – State legislatures across the country considered more than 600 broadband related bills in 2025, reflecting a growing recognition of high-speed internet as critical infrastructure.
Yet fewer than 140 of those proposals became law, with the most successful measures focused on speeding permitting, clarifying access to poles and rights-of-ways, and protecting networks from theft and vandalism.
From Hawaii to West Virginia, states experimented with innovative funding programs, incentives for data centers, and expansions of universal service to make broadband more accessible and affordable.
Member discussion