Commerce Department to Co-Chair Broadband Opportunity Council

Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced that the Commerce Department (along with the Department of Agriculture) will co-chair the Broadband Opportunity Council, a new federal government initiative aimed at increasing broadband investment and reducing barriers to broadband deployment and adoption.

Secretary Pritzker designated Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling to serve as Commerce’s representative on the Broadband Opportunity Council. The Council will build on Commerce’s interagency work, which has promoted greater coordination on broadband policies and sharing best practices to promote broadband infrastructure and adoption funding. The Broadband Opportunity Council includes 25 federal agencies and departments that will engage with industry and other stakeholders to understand ways the government can better support the needs of communities seeking broadband investment. It will also help identify regulatory barriers unduly impeding broadband deployment or competition, and take steps to remove such barriers.