NTIA’s Commitment to State and Territory Local Coordination

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) understands that closing the digital divide requires ongoing, meaningful engagement with the communities the Internet for All (IFA) programs are serving. NTIA views strong involvement from state, local, territorial, and Tribal communities as key to ensuring that the broadband needs of all unserved and underserved locations and underrepresented communities are met. Local coordination promotes alignment of priorities among states and territories, regional, and local governments as well as community organizations and other broadband stakeholders. Local coordination is an important part of both the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) and Digital Equity (DE) programs. Between August 2022 and November 2023, NTIA co-hosted day-long workshops with 17 different state and territory broadband offices (SBOs). The workshops also enabled broadband offices to create avenues for new and existing relationships with their stakeholders as they prepare for future phases of these programs and ensure that these stakeholders were included in the planning process. For more details on our state and local coordination efforts, see our report.