NTIA Recap of 2012 and Look Ahead to 2013

A quick look at some of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s major accomplishments in 2012.

• Internet/Broadband: On the Internet policy front, we focused on facilitating multistakeholder work on how mobile applications handle consumer data privacy. On the broadband front, our $4 billion in Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and State Broadband Initiatives projects tallied up very impressive numbers in 2012. These projects cumulatively deployed or upgraded 78,000 miles of infrastructure, connected more than 11,200 community anchor institutions, installed more than 38,600 computer workstations, and generated over 500,000 new broadband subscribers. NTIA updated the National Broadband Map twice in 2012, each time increasing the functionalities and focusing more clearly on the broadband picture throughout the United States.
• Spectrum: NTIA has identified 210 megahertz of federal spectrum for potential commercial use on a shared basis. Adding to the 115 megahertz from the 1695-1710 MHz band and the 3.5 GHz band from our October 2010 “Fast-Track” report, in March of this year, NTIA issued a report evaluating 95 megahertz of prime spectrum in the 1755-1850 MHz band for potential commercial broadband use.
• Public Safety: We spent much of 2012 implementing the key spectrum and FirstNet provisions from the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, which President Obama signed into law in February. Creating an independent authority charged with establishing a nationwide wireless broadband public safety network is certainly uncharted territory.