NTIA's Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth Makes First Report to Congress

On December 23, 2021, the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) highlighted the accomplishments of its new Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth over the past year and begins what will be annual tracking of investments in federal broadband support programs and Universal Service Fund programs. In the ACCESS BROADBAND 2021 Report NTIA also makes recommendations to improve efforts to track broadband spending and outcomes. The law also requires the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth to submit a report to Congress each year that includes:

• A description of the work of the Office for the previous year and the number of residents of the United States that received broadband as a result of Federal broadband support programs and the Universal Service Fund Programs;
• A description of how many residents of the United States were provided broadband by which universal service mechanism or which Federal broadband support program; and
• An estimate of the economic impact of such broadband deployment efforts on local economies, including any effect on small businesses or jobs.