FCC, NTIA, USDA, Treasury Announce Broadband Info Sharing Agreement

The Federal Communications Commission, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and the US Department of the Treasury announced an interagency agreement to share information about and collaborate regarding the collection and reporting of certain data and metrics relating to broadband deployment. The respective Cabinet and Agency leaders announced that their agencies will consult with one another and share information on data collected from programs administered by the FCC, the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service, programs administered or coordinated by NTIA, and Treasury’s Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund and State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. As part of the signed agreement, each federal agency partner will share information about projects that have received or will receive funding from the previously mentioned federal funding sources. More information on what the interagency Memorandum of Understanding entails can be found here. The agreement is effective at the date of its signing, May 11, 2022. The agreement is the latest development in federal efforts to coordinate high-speed internet spending. In June 2021, the FCC, NTIA and USDA signed a Memorandum of Understanding to coordinate the distribution of federal high-speed internet funds. The June 2021 Memorandum of Understanding remains in effect.