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“Julius Genachowski has built a substantial legacy of accomplishments during his four years as Federal Communications Commission Chair. He has provided intellectual leadership to the U.S. government’s efforts to advance the spread of broadband nationwide and to provide more spectrum to meet the nation’s growing demand for wireless technologies. I have learned much from working with him over the years and most recently in his role as FCC Chairman. I wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Closing the digital divide – and getting all Americans online – requires a multipronged approach. It’s not enough just to provide affordable computer equipment and access to broadband at a reasonable price. Just as important is digital literacy training to teach people how to use the Internet and take advantage of everything it has to offer.

Written Testimony of
Samuel Ginn
Chairman
First Responder Network Authority Board

Before the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
United States House of Representatives

Hearing on
“Oversight of FirstNet and Emergency Communications”

March 14, 2013

This article is cross-posted on the OSTP blog

The President’s strategy for expanding the capacity of high-speed wireless broadband services across the Nation may get a boost from a new Defense Department Initiative to fund research and development of innovative new approaches to spectrum sharing.

Testimony of
The Honorable Lawrence E. Strickling
Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
United States Department of Commerce

Before the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
United States House of Representatives

Keynote Address by Lawrence E. Strickling
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information
Silicon Flatirons Center Conference on
The Digital Broadband Migration: The Future of Internet-Enabled Innovation
Boulder, Colorado
February 11, 2013

- As Prepared for Delivery –

As the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) nears completion, NTIA staff is continuing to work closely with our grantees to ensure that projects are wrapping up on time and within budget, delivering the promised broadband benefits to the communities they serve.

WASHINGTON  –  Intuit today announced that the company supports the draft code of conduct being developed in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s privacy multistakeholder process, and that the company plans to adopt the code. The code, when finalized and adopted,  will improve disclosures regarding mobile applications' privacy practices.  In addition, other key stakeholders voiced general support for the direction the code is taking.

WASHINGTON – Following on NTIA's January 2013 report evaluating the potential use of up to 195 megahertz of additional spectrum in the 5 GHz band by unlicensed devices, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today proposed making the spectrum in the 5350-5470 MHz and 5850-5925 MHz bands available for such use. 

WASHINGTON – The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) today announced the structure and membership of FirstNet’s Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC), which will be comprised of 40 representatives of public safety organizations.

To understand how rural South Dakota is, consider this: The state ranks 17th in the nation in terms of geographic size, but 46th in population - with fewer than 820,000 people, according to the 2010 Census. In some parts of South Dakota, the distance between farmsteads can be six miles. Cattle outnumber people four to one.

For telecommunications companies, the state’s sparse population means that there are not enough customers in many places to enable them to recoup costly investments in advanced telecommunications networks needed to deliver high-speed Internet service.

“NTIA thanks the Board for conducting this review expeditiously.  NTIA is pleased that today’s resolution charts a path to allow the resumption of these projects in accordance with the two conditions set out when we partially suspended the projects last year: 

• The grant money will remain in the communities that received the grant.

• The grant dollars will be spent on facilities and equipment that can be incorporated into FirstNet’s nationwide network , or that will yield valuable data and information to guide FirstNet.”

“The FirstNet Board has been hard at work now for five months, laying the groundwork for what will be one of the largest telecommunications networks ever built.  We understand the enormity of our task at hand, and the urgency to get it done as expeditiously as possible.  But we want to get it right.

“The FirstNet Board has taken a big step forward with the BTOP public safety projects.  Using the information we obtained from our site visits and other work with the projects’ leaders and vendors, we have determined that each of these seven grantees could provide substantial benefits to FirstNet’s nationwide deployment efforts and generate valuable lessons learned on the challenges we face.  

“The FirstNet Board understands that this network cannot be built without the critical input of the public safety community and states, tribes and regional groups. As a representative of that community, I’m committed to ensuring that these voices are heard as FirstNet develops plans for this nationwide public safety network. We’ve already begun our outreach to these stakeholders, but we’re just getting started. Please be patient because there’s much more to come.

BOULDER, Colo. – The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Board today adopted a resolution outlining its path forward with the seven public safety Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grantees, whose funding was partially suspended following enactment of the law creating FirstNet. 

Keynote Address by Lawrence E. Strickling

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information

at the

2013 Broadband Summit of the Federal-State Joint Conference

on Advanced Services

“Broadband Adoption and Usage – What Have We Learned?”

Washington, DC

February 7, 2013

Washington — The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced the availability of $121.5 million in grants to assist states as they prepare for a nationwide public safety broadband network.

Nearly two years ago, NTIA launched the National Broadband Map, and today we are updating it, as we have every six months since its inception.  The map provides the first-ever detailed datasets of broadband availability across the country, and it would not be possible without a unique partnership between the federal government, states, and the voluntary participation of many broadband providers. 

NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) is hard at work in our Boulder, Colorado labs testing next-generation technology that will be used in a new nationwide public safety broadband network to be built by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet).

Public Safety official participates in testing of digital LMR intelligibility.

Washington, DC – National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling today delivered remarks at the Brookings Institution to underscore the importance of NTIA’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), which works to expand access to broadband services to communities across the United States.

As 2012 draws to a close, I would like to take a moment to think back on some of the major things we’ve accomplished and then look forward to what we have on our plate for 2013.

Anna M. Gomez
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information
PLI/FCBA Telecommunications Policy & Regulation Institute
Washington, D.C.
December 14, 2012

-As prepared for delivery-

Thank you to the folks at the Practicing Law Institute and FCBA for inviting me to speak to you today.  I particularly want to express my appreciation for all you who have come during the earliest time slot the morning after the Chairman’s dinner!

Remarks by Lawrence E. Strickling
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information
PLI/FCBA Telecommunications Policy & Regulation Institute
Washington, DC
December 14, 2012

--As prepared for delivery--

I want to thank the distinguished Deputy Administrator of NTIA, Anna Gomez, for yielding me the remainder of her time.  Rest assured she was under no pressure to do so.

WASHINGTON – The city of Seattle, the University of Washington, Gigabit Squared (a private company), and Gig.U joined together today to announce plans to deploy Gigabit networks and services to 12 Seattle neighborhoods.  The project targets areas surrounding the University of Washington as well as several underserved areas.