Oversight committee addresses NTIA reauthorization, FCC broadband map ahead of BEAD Program funding allocations

As technological advancements continue to roll out at a breakneck pace, from artificial intelligence to high speed broadband connectivity, investment in digital infrastructure has become a defining theme of the modern era. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, (R-Wash.), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, stressed the importance of this charge in opening remarks at a hearing Tuesday about the reauthorization of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which oversees regulation of the nation’s telecommunications industry.

“These initiatives highlight just how much NTIA’s duties have changed since it was last reauthorized in 1993 and the need for Congress to reauthorize agencies whose authorization has lapsed,” McMorris Rodgers said, highlighting $42 billion in middle mile broadband funding that’s currently being overseen by the NTIA. It was made available through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program.

“Today’s hearing is just as much about oversight as it is about reauthorization,” Rodgers said, pivoting discussion to the status of the BEAD Program. “Millions of Americans still lack access to broadband services, despite our federal government spending tens of billions of dollars on broadband-related programs over the years.”

Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio), chair of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, noted that Tuesday’s NTIA oversight hearing was the first since the agency published its notice of funding opportunity for the Bead Program.

“Getting these rules right is crucial, including technology neutrality, will ultimately determine whether all Americans are connected or if they will continue to be left on the wrong side of the digital divide,” he said.

The program, which to date represents the federal government’s most substantial investment in high-speed, affordable internet, was authorized under Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021 as a funding source to construct broadband networks, offset internet service costs for lower-income households, and provide devices to those unable to afford them. 

“Closing the digital divide is no small task, and it will require the coordination of multiple federal agencies,” Kuster said, noting she’s introducing legislation that would require the federal government to create a national strategy to “connect everyone to the internet.”

Speaking to Alan Davidson, assistant secretary of commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA administrator, Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (D-N.H.), stressed the importance of streamlining permitting to ensure that programs are able to move forward quickly. 

“The BEAD Program will invest 42 billion into our nation’s broadband infrastructure to finally connect the hardest to reach communities. It’s critical this historic funding opportunity be optimized to bring high-speed, reliable internet to as many housholds as possible,” she said.

Since the program’s inception, administrators at all levels of government have worked diligently to hammer out granular details and ensure a fair allocation of the billions available. In November, concern arose from local governments and nonprofits about a draft map produced by the FCC that erroneously tracked local broadband needs, misrepresenting provider availability and internet speeds. BEAD Program funding was to be allocated based on data from the finalized map.

A brief published at the time by the nonprofit Public Knowledge said the draft “misleadingly indicates that the vast majority of the country is served,” and called on leaders to address the misinformation. Since then, the FCC has accepted input from states and localities, and Davidson said the finalized map will accurately reflect national broadband needs because of the changes.

“Good maps are critical if we’re going to make sure we’re spending this money well, if we’re going to meet our mission of connecting everybody, we need to be spending the money in the right places,” Davidson said. “We think the map the FCC is working on now is substantially improved—much more accurate, much more granular than we’ve ever had before.”

The updated map is expected to be published by the FCC in the next week. NTIA’s anticipated BEAD Program funding allocations, which will be based on the map, are due June 30. Reauthorization of the NTIA under the National Telecommunication and Information Administration Reauthorization Act of 2023 will be taken up again later.