Summary

• Purpose: Accelerate last‑mile builds in rural/underserved areas, integrate workforce hubs, and make every dollar and milestone visible with enforceable clawbacks.
• Net fiscal impact (annual): Low: ~$2.0B | Mid: ~$4.5B | High: ~$8.0B
• Primary beneficiaries: Rural households and small businesses, local ISPs/co‑ops, workforce trainees, and taxpayers through avoided waste and faster delivery.

Mechanism of savings

• Milestones with teeth: Statutory start/connection deadlines cut idle awards and carry costs; use‑it‑or‑lose‑it funding reallocates to projects that deliver.
• Clawbacks and penalties: Proportional repayments for missed milestones/misuse recover funds and deter underperformance.
• Open‑access spillover: At‑cost excess middle‑mile capacity lowers prices and reduces future subsidy needs for local ISPs.
• Harmonization: Alignment with BEAD/E‑Rate avoids duplication and consolidates reporting, reducing administrative overhead.
• Workforce hubs: Local training/apprenticeships shrink delays, cut contractor premiums, and raise on‑time completion rates.
• Radical transparency: Quarterly project dashboards make costs, speeds, latency, and take‑rates public — waste can’t hide.

Assumptions

• Clawback recovery: ~3–6% of annual award value reclaimed or avoided via strict milestone enforcement.
• Duplication avoidance: ~1–2% savings by harmonizing with BEAD/E‑Rate and sharing maps/performance data.
• Open‑access impacts: ~5–10% reduction in subsidy per premise through competition and at‑cost spillover capacity.
• Workforce efficiency: ~5–10% faster build timelines reduce finance and contractor carry costs.
• Admin/reporting: Unified, machine‑readable dashboards offset added transparency costs with audit simplicity.

Calculations

• Low case: Clawbacks/avoidance (~$1.0B) + duplication (~$0.3B) + open‑access (~$0.5B) + workforce efficiency (~$0.2B) ≈ ~$2.0B net savings.
• Mid case: Clawbacks/avoidance (~$1.8B) + duplication (~$0.5B) + open‑access (~$1.5B) + workforce efficiency (~$0.7B) ≈ ~$4.5B net savings.
• High case: Clawbacks/avoidance (~$3.0B) + duplication (~$0.8B) + open‑access (~$3.0B) + workforce efficiency (~$1.2B) ≈ ~$8.0B net savings.

Risks and mitigation

• Awardee resistance: Bake clawbacks and public non‑compliance flags into terms; reallocate to shovel‑ready projects.
• Mapping accuracy: Require shared, auditable maps and quarterly updates; third‑party verification of served/unserved areas.
• Workforce bottlenecks: Stand up hubs early; mandate paid apprenticeships tied to funded builds; track placements.
• Open‑access loopholes: Publish SLAs and pricing at cost; enforce with audits and penalties for denial‑of‑service.

Measurement and reporting

• KPIs: Miles built, premises passed/connected, speeds/latency, per‑premise cost, workforce enrollments/completions/placements, clawbacks/enforcement actions.
• Cadence: Quarterly project dashboards; annual independent audits; integration with the National Broadband Map.

Bottom line

This Act delivers real broadband and real accountability: strict milestones, clawbacks, open‑access competition, and public dashboards. Result: billions saved, faster builds, and rural communities finally connected — with receipts the public can see.