House Republican Leaders Ask Administration for Detailed Accounting on Broadband Programs

House Republican Leaders sent a series of letters to federal agencies asking about steps they are taking to close the digital divide. The letters were sent by Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Oversight and Reform Republican Leader James Comer (R-KY), Appropriations Committee Republican Leader Kay Granger (R-TX), Education and Labor Committee Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Agriculture Committee Republican Leader Glenn Thompson (R-PA). The representatives sent letters to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Department of the Treasury, the US Department of Education (ED), and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). In 2021, Congress provided historic levels of funding for broadband deployment to make sure all Americans are connected. According to the lawmakers, these letters are an effort to pursue aggressive oversight and make sure these billions of dollars are directed toward unserved Americans rather than wasted on serving areas that already have broadband access. The committees ask each agency to “provide a detailed accounting of any CARES Act, Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, or ARPA funds that you have awarded or allocated to support broadband connectivity.”