Intergovernmental Relations in the U.S. Federal System: The Case of Providing Broadband Access for Tribal Communities
摘要
Across the United States (U.S.), the expansion of broadband infrastructure has become a critical priority for ensuring equitable access to digitalized government services, particularly in underserved rural and tribal communities. In the U.S., most government services are delivered to the public using pre-existing infrastructure, often provided by the government or a form of public–private partnership. Some services rely on physical infrastructure, for example, water systems, energy transmission, telecommunications towers, or roadways. Others combine physical infrastructure and capital assets, such as transport and refuse disposal. Even other services, such as health, public safety, or education, combine the foregoing infrastructure with personnel-intensive activities. Nonetheless, today, all government service providers seek to integrate high-speed internet provided by broadband infrastructure and get the efficiency gains that come with digitalizing their operations (van Veenstra et al., 2012).