Conference Agenda

Abstract and Research Question

As Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said in 1932, “a single courageous State may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments.” Brandeis is often credited with viewing states as laboratories of democracy, and this study takes a similar view of states as possible innovators in broadband policy and governance.

While prior research has examined broadband policy outcomes or funding mechanisms at the state level (e.g. Whitacre & Gallardo, 2020; Sanders, Gibson, & Lamm, 2022), less attention has been given to how the broadband governance architectures vary across U.S. states. This study conceptualizes broadband governance not as a single institutional form but as a structured configuration of organizational features that collectively shape authority, accountability, and policy capacity. This study examines how institutional design shapes state-level broadband governance in the United States. Specifically, it focuses on the following research questions: What do the patterns of co-occurring institutional features, if any, across administrative, regulatory, and advisory broadband agencies reveal about distinct types of state broadband governance?

Method

The study employs a mixed-methods research design integrating structured institutional coding with quantitative pattern analysis and qualitative interpretation. First, a comparative institutional dataset will be constructed through manual coding of state broadband agencies. The coding framework captures nine dimensions of governance design, including organizational independence, appointment mechanisms, reporting hierarchy, legal foundation, funding structure, transparency practices, and interagency coordination. These indicators operationalize key institutional features across administrative, regulatory, and advisory bodies.

Second, the coded dataset will be analyzed quantitatively to identify patterns of co-occurrence among institutional features. The analysis explores whether specific governance attributes cluster together in consistent ways across states. Statistical techniques such as descriptive distributional analysis, cross-tabulation, and exploratory clustering will be used to detect recurring institutional configurations. The goal is not to model causal outcomes but to map structural variation and identify governance “types” based on recurring feature combinations.

Third, qualitative analysis will be used to interpret the institutional logics underlying the observed configurations. This interpretive component will examine how combinations of structural features reflect different governance orientations. Qualitative interpretation will also contextualize how legal mandates, funding regimes, and administrative embedding shape institutional autonomy and accountability.

Disciplinary Fields

The study draws on an interdisciplinary framework combining the following: telecommunications policy and regulatory governance, public administration and institutional design, and technology policy studies.

Novelty and Policy Relevance

The study contributes to contemporary communications policy in three ways. First, this research shifts analytical focus from policy outputs (deployment levels, funding distribution, program effectiveness) to governance architecture. As states play an increasingly central role in broadband planning, federal program implementation, and infrastructure coordination, understanding institutional design variation becomes essential for evaluating policy capacity and accountability. Second, the study introduces a configurational approach to governance, identifying recurring institutional patterns rather than examining isolated organizational characteristics. Specifically, this approach provides a typology of state broadband governance models, enabling more precise comparisons across jurisdictions. Third, the research is timely given the expansion of state-level broadband responsibilities under recent federal infrastructure initiatives. Policymakers are designing or restructuring broadband offices, commissions, and advisory bodies. Identifying existing governance models and their structural logic provides a foundation for institutional learning and policy design.

Expected Results

The study expects to identify distinct governance configurations characterized by consistent clusters of institutional features. Preliminary expectations include executive-embedded administrative models with centralized reporting and political appointment structures; independent or quasi-independent governance models with statutory foundations and board-based oversight; multi-agency coordination models combining distributed authority with mixed funding structures; and hybrid arrangements balancing administrative integration with technocratic leadership.

The findings will provide a comparative typology of state broadband governance and clarify how institutional authority, autonomy, and transparency are structured across jurisdictions. More broadly, the study demonstrates how institutional configuration analysis can inform broadband policy research by mapping the design of governance of structures.