en.Wedoany.com Reported - Mike Romano, CEO of the NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, has called for greater accountability in how U.S. broadband funding programs are measured. He argues that ribbon-cutting ceremonies and "locations covered" statistics fall far short of proving that billions in federal dollars from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program are fulfilling the promise of universal service.

In a blog post titled "Accountability Starts with Showing Your Work," Romano drew an analogy to elementary school math classes requiring students to show their work. Just as students cannot expect full credit for simply writing down an answer, he said, broadband providers should not be able to prove their mission is complete merely by pointing to network deployment. "Those ribbon cuttings are nice, of course, but such celebrations and breathless press releases about locations covered mean very little to the rural broadband consumer the next day, next month, or next year," Romano wrote.

At the core of Romano's argument is the distinction between building a network and actually serving users. As the BEAD program now shifts from the deployment phase to accountability and implementation, he believes policymakers and the public need real data—not just promises—to understand whether federal investments are paying off. To that end, NTCA is calling for the public release of performance test data from BEAD-funded networks, broken down by provider. Romano envisions an "accountability dashboard" that would allow Americans to compare actual speeds and latency, verify that service prices are reasonably comparable to urban areas, and track adoption rates to determine whether consumers are using taxpayer-funded networks.

Romano extended the call for transparency beyond BEAD, saying he would welcome the same accountability standards for all broadband funding programs—even providers listed on the National Broadband Map. "It's time to stop guessing whether we are spending money wisely or whether the universal service mission is being fulfilled. It's time for providers to show their work," he wrote. The blog post reflects a theme Romano has emphasized since taking the helm of NTCA. In an interview with Telecompetitor earlier this year, he stated that NTCA strongly advocates for network performance testing and public disclosure of data for programs like BEAD. He noted that the real "deal benefits" from federal broadband spending need to be passed on to consumers, not just announced at press conferences.

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