NTIA Blog

By: Angela Thi Bennett and Maya C. James  

Last month NTIA announced our first Capacity Award from the Digital Equity Act, which awarded approximately $9 million to Nevada to implement digital inclusion programs across the state.  

As required by the Digital Equity Act, the $1.25 billion Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program will be established within 30 days of our first State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program award and will make hundreds of millions of dollars available in the first Notice of Funding Opportunity to implement digital inclusion projects.  

Examples of eligible applicants for this program include, a political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality of States, Indian Tribes, Alaska Native entities, and Native Hawaiian organizations (Native Entities), nonprofits, community anchor institutions, local educational agencies, and workforce development organizations. U.S. territories are also eligible to apply through a separate process.  

By: Philip Powell, NTIA’s Federal Program Officer for Arkansas and Oklahoma

As we celebrate Disability Pride Month and the 34th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it’s crucial to recognize the achievements, contributions, and resilience of individuals with disabilities. This month serves as a reminder of the importance of inclusivity and accessibility in every aspect of our society, especially in the digital realm.

On a personal note, Internet access has a huge impact on my life. I am Deaf and have first-hand experience with how high-speed Internet assists the disability community. I visit my audiologist annually to ensure my cochlear implant is working properly, I’ve used the same doctor in Alabama for over two decades. She can now make adjustments remotely and conduct the visit via high-speed Internet. I no longer have to take two or three days away from work and family to drive to Alabama for one visit.

At NTIA, the ADA continues to guide our progress as we move closer to the promise of equal opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for the 61 million individuals with disabilities in our country. Our communities grow stronger when all people can access the Internet, public accommodations, employment, transportation, and community living regardless of disability.  

By Jill Springer, Senior Advisor, Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth, NTIA

High-speed Internet service connects and builds communities, accelerates economic progress, and enhances public service capabilities. Installing broadband infrastructure can be complex due to permitting processes and regulations that may influence the availability of public rights-of-way, poles, conduits, ducts, and other necessary facilities.

Navigating federal, state, and local permitting requirements may pose challenges for NTIA grantees and subgrantees, particularly for small ISPs, electric co-ops, community-based organizations, and others with limited resources, which can result in deployment delays. States and territories will play a pivotal role in helping to close the digital divide in the United States and can work to streamline their permitting processes to improve deployment efficiency.  

By: Sarah Salgado, Broadband Program Specialist, Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth  

Generations before us built infrastructure such as electricity, water, and sewer systems to serve everyone in America. Now, it is our generation’s turn to connect everyone in America to the tools they need to thrive in the modern digital economy through reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service. Achieving this ambitious goal requires the development of middle mile infrastructure.

In 2023, NTIA awarded nearly $980 million to deploy over 12,500 miles of new middle mile fiber through the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure (Middle Mile) Program to 36 organizations across 40 states and territories. This investment will build new and resilient Internet highways that help lower the cost for last-mile providers to deploy future networks and increase end users' access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service.  

NTIA recently announced the first Middle Mile Program grantee in the nation to begin construction. Most of these grant projects are currently under environmental review, and NTIA expects additional grantees to be able to start construction on the first projects in the coming months.

By: Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce & NTIA Administrator  

The importance of the multistakeholder system of Internet governance was on full display last month in Kigali, Rwanda during the ICANN80 High Level Government Meeting (HLGM) and Policy Forum. I was delighted to lead the U.S. Delegation to the HLGM, participate in ICANN’s forum, and meet with leaders from around the world in support of that multistakeholder system.

The HLGM brought leaders together from a wide array of countries to discuss Internet governance and the crucial role that governments play in shaping policy for the Internet’s global Domain Name System. While governments are always represented at ICANN, the HLGM is designed to bring in Minister-level representatives from each country. In a way, the HLGM is an opportunity for Ministers to experience the multistakeholder system at work.

What Pride Means to NTIA

Each June, Pride Month provides an occasion to celebrate progress made by the LGBTQI+ community and reflect on the work that remains to create a more equitable future. For individuals identifying as LGBTQI+, high-speed Internet access can unlock educational and economic opportunities, customized physical and mental health resources, and social and community connections.  

By law, NTIA’s Internet For All efforts place a focus on reaching historically disadvantaged “covered populations.” The LGBTQI+ community overlaps with all the covered populations: