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“In 2021, Congress created the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program to expand Americans’ access to high-speed internet.  But, years later, because of the prior Administration’s woke mandates, favoritism towards certain technologies, and burdensome regulations, the program has not connected a single person to the internet and is in dire need of a readjustment.  

NTIA is responsible for the contract for .us – the country code Top Level Domain for the United States (usTLD). Through this contract, NTIA sets policy and other requirements for the usTLD, which serves as an online home for American businesses, individuals, and geographical localities. These policies help make .us functional, secure and unique. For example, the .us “nexus” policy requires a connection between a .us registrant and the United States.

Last May NTIA launched a request for comment (RFC) on how U.S. government policies can support the development of next-generation commercial wireless “6G” technology. In this post, we discuss NTIA’s work on 6G and the overarching themes included in the comments received in response to the RFC. 

Delaware Can Proceed Toward Network Construction That Will Connect All Remaining Homes and Small Businesses to Affordable High-Speed Internet

WASHINGTON – The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Delaware’s Final Proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative to connect everyone in America to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service.  

Louisiana Can Proceed Toward Network Construction That Will Connect All Remaining Homes and Small Businesses to Affordable High-Speed Internet

WASHINGTON –The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Louisiana’s Final Proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative to connect everyone in America to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service.  

WASHINGTON — The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced today it has awarded nearly $18 million to seven Tribal entities to expand high-speed Internet access and adoption.

WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded more than $117 million in the second batch of grants from the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund’s second Notice of Funding Opportunity.

By Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce & NTIA Administrator

Every day at NTIA, we work to promote technology in the service of human progress. That has been the throughline of our actions on Internet connectivity, spectrum and tech policy.

As I look ahead to my third anniversary and final days as NTIA Administrator next week, I’m incredibly proud of what we have accomplished to advance technology for people and progress.

Closing the Digital Divide

As of last week, the federal government has obligated all $42.45 billion in BEAD funding to states and territories (the “Eligible Entities”). This means that, subject to the terms and conditions of their awards, Eligible Entities can access their BEAD allocation to connect every resident to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service. With all 56 Eligible Entities having now reached this critical milestone, we know that grantees are eager to begin deployment of new high-speed Internet networks.

By Rafi Goldberg, Acting Deputy Associate Administrator

In September, NTIA and the Census Bureau announced an ambitious new initiative to improve our understanding of Internet use at a local level.

Local Estimates of Internet Adoption (Project LEIA) is aimed at producing more granular Internet adoption estimates using a combination of existing data and statistical modeling techniques known as “small area estimation.”

WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that up to $450 million in funding will be made available for software-focused Open RAN innovation.

WASHINGTON – The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will host a listening session in conjunction with a Request for Comment released today to gather feedback on potential ethical guidelines for the use of pervasive data in research.

Pervasive data refers to information about people gathered through online services. While this data can help provide essential insights for informing policy, there is a lack of clarity on how to ensure this research is done responsibly.

By:  Will Arbuckle, Senior Policy Advisor, NTIA  

The $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program aims to connect 25 million Americans currently without high-speed Internet access. Building these broadband networks on time and at scale across 56 states and territories will require tens of thousands of broadband construction workers: from network designers to pole surveyors, from locators to drill operators, from general laborers to fiber splicers. 

In November 2024, the Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) completed a study of the Lower 37 GHz band (37-37.6 GHz), paving the way for a co-equal, shared-use framework for government and commercial users in this “innovation band.”  It represents the first deliverable under the National Spectrum Strategy directive to examine a key set of bands to ensure U.S. leadership in spectrum-based services now and into the future.