▪Municipal broadband prices are not substantially different from private ISPs’ broadbandprices. After accounting for associated costs, private entry-level broadband plans arecomparable to, if not more affordable than, municipal broadband.

▪U.S. entry-level broadband rates are also comparable with prices in peer nations. Studiesfocused on advertised prices often fail to account for average income. Normalizing thedata demonstrates America’s competitive rates.

▪Affordability is only part of the adoption problem in America’s digital divide. Digitalliteracy, device costs, and other barriers also hamper adoption. So, to get more peopleonline, policymakers need to avoid affordability tunnel vision.

▪Congress should provide flexible subsidies directly to low-income users rather thanattempt large changes to industry structure. Policymakers also should incorporateautomatic stabilizers to surge broadband benefits during economic downturns.