Newsroom

“The President’s action today confirms and strengthens the efforts of NTIA, working with other federal agencies, to allocate 500 megahertz of spectrum by 2020 for wireless broadband services while balancing the spectrum needs of federal agencies. Spectrum is an important driver of economic growth and innovation. The Presidential Memorandum will encourage greater collaboration between industry and the government necessary to facilitate greater sharing of spectrum and ensure that agencies will utilize spectrum as efficiently as possible.”

Remarks by Bill D’Agostino
First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) General Manager

at the

Public Safety Communications Research Program Conference
Westminster, Colorado
June 4, 2013

(Transcript with edits for clarity)

Keynote address of Sam Ginn
First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Board Chairman

at the

Public Safety Communications Research Program Conference
Westminster, Colorado
June 4, 2013

(Transcript with edits for clarity)

In a new report released today, Exploring the Digital Nation: America’s Emerging Online Experience, NTIA examines how Americans connect to the Internet and what Americans do once they get online. The report, co-authored with the Economics and Statistics Administration, confirms the dramatic growth in the number of Americans who are going online to perform important tasks like applying for jobs, looking up health information, and learning about current events.

New data collected as part of a joint project of NTIA and the Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA) show the U.S. is making significant progress in the Obama administration’s efforts to get more Americans connected to the Internet. As of October 2012, 72.4 percent of American households (88 million households) have high-speed Internet at home – a 3.8 percentage point (5.5 percent) increase over the July 2011 figure.

“We look forward to working with the FCC, the Department of Education and all other stakeholders to achieve the president’s goal of ensuring that 99 percent of U.S. students have access to next-generation broadband within the next five years,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling.

Westminster, Colo. – The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) today approved resolutions proposed by its new General Manager, Bill D’Agostino, to give FirstNet the funding and organizational structure it needs to advance its mission to build a nationwide, public safety broadband network for first responders.

Sixteen projects funded through NTIA’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) will be honored tonight for being selected as 2013 Computerworld Honor Laureates. They’ll each receive medallions inscribed with the Computerworld Honors Program’s mission, “A Search for New Heroes,” at the Computerworld Honors Awards Gala in Washington, D.C.  

NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) in Boulder, CO, has been hard at work for years on research aimed at giving first responders next-generation technology that will help save lives.

While broadband availability has expanded for all parts of the United States, NTIA data has consistently shown that urban areas have greater access to broadband at faster speeds than rural areas. In a new report released today, NTIA and the Commerce Department’s Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA) delve deeper into the differences between broadband availability in rural and urban areas.

This is the second post in our “Spotlight on NTIA” blog series, which is highlighting the work that NTIA employees are doing to advance NTIA’s mission of promoting broadband adoption, finding spectrum to meet the growing demand for wireless technologies, and ensuring the Internet remains an engine for innovation and economic growth.

Today, NTIA is pleased to introduce a new set of reports, the Broadband Briefs series, that use publicly available data collected by the U.S. Department of Commerce to examine broadband availability in greater detail. This report further examines improvements in broadband availability by speed, technology and location since 2010.

Next week the U.S. will join the Member States of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) at the fifth World Telecommunication Policy Forum (WTPF) in Geneva.  The U.S. comes to Geneva expecting a consensus outcome to the discussions there but also to renew our commitment to understanding the needs and challenges some countries have with respect to the Internet.    

WASHINGTON – The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Board voted today to establish a Special Review Committee that will review issues raised by Board member Sherriff Paul Fitzgerald at FirstNet’s April 23, 2013 Board meeting.

The committee will look at FirstNet’s compliance with applicable federal hiring and procurement rules, conflict of interest rules and open meeting requirements. The committee will also make recommendations on any process improvements the FirstNet Board should implement to address the concerns raised by Sheriff Fitzgerald.

WASHINGTON – The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) announced today that the first in a summer-long series of consultations with states, tribes, territories and localities will take place May 15-16 in the Washington, D.C area. FirstNet will conduct regional workshops in six regions and will also meet with each state individually during the consultation process.

This blog is part of a new “Spotlight on NTIA” series. We’ll be highlighting the work that NTIA employees are doing to advance NTIA’s mission of promoting broadband adoption, finding spectrum to meet the growing demand for wireless technologies, and ensuring the Internet remains an engine for innovation and economic growth.

Keynote Address of Lawrence E. Strickling
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information

at the

SHLB 2013 Annual Conference
Washington, DC
May 2, 2013

As Prepared for Delivery

The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today released its Broadband Adoption Toolkit, a document aimed at sharing best practices developed from broadband adoption and digital literacy projects funded by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). Leveraging the experience of about 100 communities served by BTOP to benefit the entire nation, the Toolkit gives practical ideas and tools for overcoming barriers to getting more Americans online access.

WASHINGTON – The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Board today adopted a resolution authorizing FirstNet Board member Sue Swenson to begin negotiations with the state of Texas to enter into a spectrum lease agreement for its public safety broadband project.

WASHINGTON  –  The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Board announced today the hiring of Bill D’Agostino, Jr. to be its General Manager.  D’Agostino is an accomplished telecommunications and wireless industry executive, with 33 years of experience designing, operating and upgrading telecommunications networks.

NEW ORLEANS – First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Board member Sue Swenson provided an update yesterday on FirstNet’s work to prepare for a nationwide public safety broadband network.  The following remarks are a summary of those delivered at the Competitive Carriers Association Global Expo in New Orleans on April 17.

Keynote address by Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information Angela Simpson
Broadband Communities Summit
Dallas, Texas
April 16, 2013

As Prepared for Delivery

Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information Lawrence Strickling was honored today for his leadership on behalf of the Obama administration’s efforts to enact wireless deployment and public safety provisions in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012.

The following blog post originally appeared on the website of the United States Telecommunications and Training Institute (USTTI).

Washington – FirstNet Board member Sue Swenson, the Board’s lead negotiator with the seven Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) public safety projects on 700 MHz spectrum leases, provided an update today on the process and status of the negotiations.   The Board in February adopted a resolution outlining its path forward with the seven public safety BTOP grantees, whose funding was partially suspended following enactment of the law creating FirstNet.