Pew recommends NTIA make public all BEAD waivers for consistency across states

The Pew Charitable Trusts is recommending that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration make public all past waivers issued regarding the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. Pew says it would improve transparency and ensure that guidance and decisions are consistently shared and applied across all states. It’s unclear whether the new leader of the Commerce Department Howard Lutnick and the presumed incoming leader of NTIA Arielle Roth will care about Pew’s recommendation. But Pew has been deeply involved with states for many years as they have struggled to close their digital divides and ensure that every American has access to the Internet. NTIA has the authority to grant waivers on a case-by-case basis. “Pew would like to see what waivers have been granted and under what conditions,” said Kathryn de Wit, director of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ broadband access initiative.