House Democrats Outline Priorities on Implementation of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Broadband Investments

Seventeen Democratic members of the House Commerce Committee’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee wrote to Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), outlining their recommendations and priorities as the agency implements the broadband programs in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Congress entrusted NTIA to administer several of the programs funded by the Infrastructure Act’s $65 billion investment in broadband access, affordability, and adoption, which is a historic opportunity to make significant progress to bridge the digital divide. The Members of Congress believe the success of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s broadband programs will require an emphasis on affordability, digital inclusion, high-capacity networks, competition, and community engagement. The representatives noted affordability as a major barrier to broadband access and urged NTIA to provide the most possible help to those struggling to afford broadband service by making low-cost offering requirements as widely available as feasible. They also stressed funding should prioritize projects that implement fiber networks and other technologies that can be scalable to meet the speeds that consumers will demand in the future. Additionally, the representatives wrote that NTIA should ensure engagement with stakeholders at the federal and state level is ongoing as the law is implemented and should reflect the needs of the communities lacking meaningful access and adoption of high-speed broadband service.