Newsroom & Public Notices
Broadband Access Study Commission Encourages all Residents to Take Broadband Survey
| For Immediate Release: | Contact: Peter Peretzman |
| Date: 12/13/2022 | 609-900-5626 |
Results Will Inform State Plan to Ensure High Speed Internet Access Statewide
The survey will assess existing broadband speed and usage in addition to identifying where gaps in broadband service and access exist. The results of the survey will help the State pursue federal broadband funding. The deadline to complete the survey is January 31, 2023.
The BASC is chaired by New Jersey Board of Public Utilities President Joseph L. Fiordaliso and includes legislative representatives Senator Troy Singleton (D-7th District) and Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak (D-18th District), as well as sixteen other members representing all regions of the state and a cross-section of government agencies, community organizations and industry.
“As we know, everything is online and this pandemic highlighted the vital necessity of broadband service, not for some, but for all,” said President Fiordaliso. “I am honored to chair the Broadband Access Study Commission, which will identify barriers to broadband service such as physical access, deployment, and affordability, and I ask residents from all areas of the state to take the survey to inform our work. The final report will help us plan for a better technology future and forever change how children learn and families engage online with relatives, Telehealth services and businesses and access information for years to come.”
The work of the Broadband Access Study Commission focuses on identifying gaps in broadband service, identifying where affordability is a primary barrier to access, and evaluating the feasibility of community broadband networks. ECC Technologies will provide consulting services to the BASC as they develop their recommendations and final report.
The State also submitted three federal grant applications to provide access to affordable broadband to underserved and unserved communities across New Jersey. Applications for the State Digital Equity Planning Grant and Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) programs, funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, were submitted to the National Telecommunication and Information Administration. The State also submitted an application to the U.S. Department of the Treasury Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund. Together, these funds will build out a New Jersey broadband office for planning, deployment, mapping, equity and adoption activities, stakeholder engagement and education, data collection and analysis, and a competitive program for broadband infrastructure projects.
The BASC was established in 2021, when Governor Murphy signed the Broadband Access Study Commission Act into law. The BASC began meeting in the Spring of 2022 and, in 2023, will issue a final report featuring recommendations to inform the State’s approach to expanding affordable and equitable access to a broadband network that offers high-speed, switched, broadband wireline telecommunications capability to residents. These capabilities will enable users to originate and receive high-quality voice, data, graphics, or video telecommunication.
New Jersey is proud to participate in the Internet for All Initiative, a “whole of nation approach to high-speed internet,” spearheaded by the Biden-Harris Administration.
About the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU)
NJBPU is a state agency and regulatory authority mandated to ensure safe, adequate and proper utility services at reasonable rates for New Jersey customers. Critical services regulated by NJBPU include natural gas, electricity, water, wastewater, telecommunications and cable television. The Board has general oversight and responsibility for monitoring utility service, responding to consumer complaints, and investigating utility accidents. To find out more about NJBPU, visit our website at www.nj.gov/bpu.
