 The impact of broadband obviously depends on the country and the economy. But broadly speaking, broadband is crucial to connecting people to the resources needed to improve their lively goals and to the world achieving the sustainable development goals. The goals for education, gender equality and infrastructure include bold targets for information and communication technology. The State of Broadband 2017 report outlines how broadband is already contributing to this and makes valuable recommendations for how to leverage broadband to increase this contribution into the future. The good news is that the State of Broadband 2017 report shows us that accessibility to broadband is increasing with more affordable prices worldwide. But there is still much work to be done by the end of 2017. The report forecasts that 3.9 billion people will still not be online and only 17% of people in least developing countries will be connected. Global actions need to be set up to bring digital access to these that need it most. The broadband commission remains committed to promoting the adoption of effective and inclusive broadband policies and practices in countries around the world with a view to achieving more inclusive and sustainable development by empowering individuals and society through the benefit of broadband. Our efforts will continue to focus on fully leveraging the huge potential of broadband technologies to drive new national SDG strategies in key areas including education, healthcare and environmental protection.