Spotlight on NTIA: Jennifer Duane, Senior Advisor for Broadband and Public Safety, Office of the Assistant Secretary

Jennifer Duane, Senior Advisor for Broadband and Public Safety, Office of the Assistant Secretary.

Duane came to National Telecommunications and Information Administration in 2009 to help implement the Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program (BTOP), which funded grants to expand broadband access and adoption. She moved to the Office of the Chief Counsel after a year and a half, continuing her work on BTOP legal issues. In 2012, she was named a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Assistant Secretary, where she added duties related to NTIA’s oversight of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and other public safety efforts.

Following the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Duane responded to the demand for telecommunications lawyers and joined Sprint Corporation, representing the company before the Federal Communications Commission as well as other federal agencies and state public utility commissions. Duane remained at Sprint until another important piece of legislation was passed – the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and its $4.7 billion broadband grant program. At NTIA, Duane is able to combine her telecommunications expertise and her prior work advocating for consumer protection and access to communications services.