Rosenworcel & Davidson: With Leadership in Place, NTIA and FCC Must Now Work Together to Close the Digital Divide

On January 11, the U.S. Senate voted 60-31 to confirm the nomination of Alan Davidson to be the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information. Once sworn in, Davidson will lead the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is President Joe Biden's principal adviser on telecommunications and information policy. Just last month, the Senate confirmed Jessica Rosenworcel for a new term as a commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and President Biden has tapped her to lead the agency. So begins what will likely be the most consequential broadband relationship in Washington over the next few years. Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Congress is investing $65 billion to help ensure that every American has access to reliable, affordable high-speed internet. The investment is meant to make sure that broadband infrastructure reaches more than 30 million Americans who live in areas where high-speed internet access service is unavailable or inadequate—and to make service more accessible to millions more who can't afford monthly broadband bills. To successfully implement the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and close the digital divide, the NTIA and the FCC have been called on to not just lead, but to collaborate as well. As the law states: "It is the sense of Congress that Federal agencies responsible for supporting broadband deployment, including the [FCC and NTIA] ... should align the goals, application and reporting processes, and project requirements with respect to broadband deployment supported by those agencies." Here are some examples of NTIA-FCC collaboration required in the Investment Investment and Jobs Act.