H.R. 9286: Broadband Deployment and Economic Impact Study Act of 2026

This bill would direct the Department of Commerce’s Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information to study the main technologies used to provide home and business broadband internet service and then report the findings to Congress within one year after the bill becomes law.

What the study would examine

The study would look at several factors for each broadband technology, including:

• How much workforce is needed to deploy it
• The economics and costs of building it out
• How well it works in different types of areas and terrain
• Its latency, download speed, upload speed, and capacity
• How long the technology and related equipment are expected to last
• What consumers pay each month, including required equipment costs

Technologies included

The bill says the study must cover these broadband technologies:

• Fiber-optic cable
• Cable modem
• Digital subscriber line (DSL)
• Fixed wireless
• 4G and 5G mobile wireless
• Low-earth-orbit satellite
• Geostationary-orbit satellite

What happens next

After completing the study, the Assistant Secretary would have to submit a report to Congress summarizing the results. The bill does not, by itself, require any new broadband construction, change any current broadband rules, or create a new program for grants or subsidies.

Relevant Companies

• CMCSA — Comcast could be indirectly affected because the study includes cable modem broadband, which is one of the main services it provides.
• VZ — Verizon could be indirectly affected because the study covers fiber, fixed wireless, and 4G/5G mobile wireless technologies.
• T — AT&T could be indirectly affected because the study covers fiber, DSL, and 4G/5G wireless services.
• SATS — EchoStar could be indirectly affected because the study includes geostationary satellite broadband through its satellite business operations.
• SPIR — Spire Global could be indirectly affected only in a broad industry sense if the report influences interest in satellite-based connectivity, though this is less direct.