Approved by the Public Policy and Practice Committee on January 29, 2025
Adopted by the Board of Direction on March 28, 2025

Policy

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recognizes the critical role that broadband communications plays in the U.S. economy and believes both the private sector which owns much of the broadband infrastructure and government at all levels that regulate broadband have important roles toward closing the gap in digital access for all. 

Specially, ASCE recommends that:

  • The federal government should continue to make robust investments in broadband infrastructure that promote access and that supports technologies that will meet evolving future demands. 
  • The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) regularly updates its broadband accessibility maps as required by the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act. These maps must be updated in a timely fashion and in close coordination with state, local, and private stakeholders to more accurately reflect current access.
  • States and municipalities should continue developing broadband plans aimed at closing the broadband divide for all. These plans should foster stakeholder engagement, identify, and remove limitations to better data collection and mapping, support strategic buildouts and deployment efforts, and encourage the preservation of conduit and right of way for future technologies.
  • A coordinated approach is needed to ensure fast, reliable broadband is not only accessible but affordable to underserved populations.
  • Co-location of broadband with existing private and public infrastructure is essential, requiring enactment of "dig once" policies to ensure service providers install broadband conduits, circuits, and equipment when other infrastructure is accessed or installed to reduce construction costs and risks.
  • Codes and standards are needed to ensure that utility poles and other structures support wireless and future telecommunications equipment are structurally sound, reliable, resilient, and available for future broadband improvements.

Issue

Broadband communication is a generic term for various delivery technologies that provide high capacity and high-speed digital internet access. As of 2024, the FCC defines advanced telecommunications capability as a download speed of 100 megabits (Mbps) per second or higher, and upload speeds of 20 Mbps or higher, via fixed or wireless infrastructure. Fixed or wired broadband services can be provided using fiber optic strand, Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial cable and digital subscriber line (DSL). Wireless broadband is delivered via licensed or unlicensed FCC spectrum or satellite. Presently, the FCC does not include cellular connections in its assessment of broadband access.Reliance on fast internet is forecasted to grow in the coming years but is still not available to all users. Average broadband data consumption in 2023 was 641 gigabytes per user and is anticipated to exceed 1 Terabyte by the end of 2028. To meet the demand for data, the telecommunications industry is expanding and deploying more cell sites and laying more fiber optic cables in support of broadband communications.
According to the FCC, 93.99% of the U.S. population is considered served by wired or reliable wireless technologies at the current FCC definition. The Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act was enacted in early 2020, and the FCC has released five major versions to improve national broadband access maps. 

While a large percentage of Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSLs) are connected, there are significant disparities in access between remote and rural America when compared to BSLs in more urban or suburban geographies. The ongoing Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program provides funding to all States, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands to address this shortfall – oversight and monitoring by National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and FCC (mapping) are necessary to ensure that accessibility goals are achieved. 

Rationale


Civil engineers play an important role in the delivery of broadband communication services. The planning, development, construction, and maintenance of related facilities are civil engineering responsibilities. The effective deployment of broadband and preparations for 6G and other future technologies requires careful planning and productive partnerships between all levels of government, the telecommunications industry, and civil engineers.

ASCE Policy Statement 564
First Approved 2021