NTIA - National Telecommunications and Information Administration
09/06/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/06/2024 11:56
Proposals to Improve Broadband Program Alignment Report
Proposals to Improve Broadband Program Alignment Report
September 06, 2024
Proposals to Improve Broadband Program Alignment, in response to GAO 22-104611, Broadband: National Strategy Needed to Guide Federal Efforts to Reduce Digital Divide
Introduction
In May 2022, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published GAO 22- 104611, Broadband: National Strategy Needed to Guide Federal Efforts to Reduce Digital Divide, which described federal funding for broadband as a "fragmented, overlapping patchwork."1 The report states that despite more than 100 broadband- related programs investing millions of dollars into deployment, affordability, planning, digital skills, and connective devices, "millions of Americans still lack broadband, and communities with limited resources may be most affected by fragmentation."2 The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) agrees that greater alignment of programs has the potential to ease application processes, reduce administrative burdens on agencies, and improve efficiency of federal funding.
Alignment, however, can be challenging. Programs are authorized at different points in time and impose different deployment obligations, timelines, and technical specifications. The passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) significantly expanded the scale of federal support for broadband, with the bulk of that funding administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of the Treasury (Treasury), and NTIA. As such, those four agencies (and others) must remain well-coordinated. To that end, the agencies have established and are continuing to develop mechanisms to collect, share, and drive decision-making with that data.
Proposals to Improve Broadband Program Alignment, in response to GAO 22-104611, Broadband: National Strategy Needed to Guide Federal Efforts to Reduce Digital Divide
Access a PDF version of the Report by clicking on the button below.
GAO has asked NTIA to present to Congress a report that
- identifies the key statutory provisions limiting the beneficial alignment of broadband programs and
- offers legislative proposals to address the limitations, as appropriate.
Given that NTIA is the principal advisor to the Executive Branch on telecommunications and information policy matters, and with the interagency coordination obligations assigned to NTIA as part of the ACCESS BROADBAND Act, NTIA has the statutory authority and expertise to conduct the analyses necessary to prepare such a report. Section II summarizes the statutory basis for coordination and data sharing as it currently stands, explaining how Congress has woven responsibility between agencies. Section III describes efforts already underway to improve the coordination of federal broadband funding, including efforts to direct federal funds where they are needed most, improve transparency through data, and align program policies. Recognizing that an emphasis on program alignment must occur at multiple levels of program development, Section IV offers legislative and administrative proposals to align broadband programs and strengthen NTIA's coordination role for federal broadband funding.
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