March 6, 2026

National Broadband Master Plan looks to create secure national network

Carl Weinschenk

NEO Network Development is proposing a National Broadband Master Plan that would establish an underground digital infrastructure alongside interstates, highways, and roads that are overseen by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The National Broadband Master Plan is a five-year plan to digitally overhaul, modernize, secure and unify the country’s digital infrastructure by creating what it says would be a vast, nationwide network of underground conduits, infrastructure and fiber. The infrastructure would be large and robust enough to accommodate the rapid migration from individual retail internet circuits to dedicated strands of fiber.

The group says the best way to create this network is to use existing fiber, poles and hybrid networks prices can be kept low. The website says that when it is finished, the fiber core will connect thousands of anchor points.

The ambitious National Broadband Master Plan seeks to connect to:

• Federal buildings in all state capitals and major cities across the country
• International, national, and regional airports, seaports, and ground transportation hubs
• Critical utilities, energy production and distribution facilities
• Military bases and intelligence agencies
• Essential communications and wire centers

“We believe the internet should be as essential as water and electricity; that’s why we’re making broadband the ‘fifth utility,’” according to the NEO website explaining the National Broadband Master Plan. “We focus on bringing fast, reliable, and affordable internet, phone, and digital TV to neighborhoods and apartment buildings that big providers often overlook.”

The website suggests that the National Broadband Master Plan is vital to national security. It says that our fragmented, consumer-grade internet is a security risk that leaves critical infrastructure and control systems exposed and vulnerable in an era of cyber warfare and quantum threats.

Another step toward ensuring the quality and accessibility of the nation’s broadband infrastructure was taken by The Broadband Forum. The organization announced its Wholesale Access project, which will provide broadband service providers with clearer guidance on the sharing of network infrastructure in wholesale scenarios.

National Broadband Master Plan looks to create secure national network - Telecompetitor