Our Mission
The Challenge
Broadband is complicated, expensive, and takes a long time to build.
For years, the federal government spent billions trying to build broadband networks across the country. However, as many of you know, much of this money was invested in technology that is now out of date, or it was entrusted to providers who never built the promised networks.
As a result of poor investments, hundreds of thousands of Missourians went into the pandemic with little to no home internet. They lost access to their job, their doctor, their bank, their school, their church, their family—all at once, and just when they needed it most. The pandemic has ended, but the world remains online, and hundreds of thousands of Missourians still have little or no connectivity.
Due to the size of our need, Missouri will soon receive billions of dollars for broadband. Our allocation is the third largest in the country, behind only Texas and California. But this amount will still not be enough to reach every Missourian. Our state must have a plan to connect those left behind.
Money alone is not sufficient. We must also address challenges related to regulation, oversight, and accountability. No amount of funding will solve our problems until these challenges are overcome.
The Opportunity
We can change direction and avoid the mistakes of the past.
Funds will be largely directed by the state government, not the federal government. This means that local groups, like Show Me Broadband, have a much better chance of influencing decisions. In fact, the state government is required to take local input.
The amount of funding is truly historic. Missouri is getting more than $2 billion for infrastructure alone—five times more than the previous largest investment. What’s more, there is funding to directly lower the cost of internet bills, and funding to help people safely integrate online technology into their lives and businesses. That’s unprecedented.
There is a bipartisan political will to connect every home, farm, and business in Missouri. The pandemic forced everyone to recognize that internet service is essential to modern life. Government administrators and legislators want to be a part of the solution, and coalitions like ours have many new resources at our disposal.