Level of Government

Karin O'Leary, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, is now also the Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information. She is a federal public administration executive with experience in leading transformational change in the public sector.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved $32.5 million in broadband investments for California to help close the digital divide, as follows:  

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan released a summary of the agency’s key accomplishments over the last four years that have improved Americans’ everyday lives and stopped illegal consolidation that raises prices and hampers innovation. These accomplishments include:

President Biden made a commitment to connect everyone in America to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet by 2030. We are on track to meet that goal. In the coming years, the work started by the Biden Administration is expected to deliver the following benefits and milestones:

Former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms submitted her letter of resignation from the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) Board to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, effective on January 20, 2025. Mayor Bottoms was appointed to the FirstNet Authority Board and designated the Board Chair in October 2024. Until the incoming Secretary of Commerce appoints a new Board Chair, the FirstNet Authority Board Bylaws direct Vice Chair Renee Gordon to perform the duties of the Board Chair.   

In early 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed Alan Davidson to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information—and to lead the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). In the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Congress charged the NTIA with administering $48.2 billion in federal investments to close the digital divide—including the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment​ (BEAD) Program.

Under the Biden-Harris Administration and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo’s leadership, the Department of Commerce took a new approach to economic policy to turn the agency into an engine of innovation and growth. With transformational investments to enhance U.S. competitiveness, Secretary Raimondo worked to unite the Department’s bureaus and economic tools to ensure the United States can meet the challenges of the 21^st century and lead for decades to come. Some highlights from the Department of Commerce under Secretary Raimondo:

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has recommended for award more than $369 million to 41 organizations to support digital skills and inclusion projects in communities across the country. These investments will empower individuals and communities across the nation with the essential skills they need to thrive in today’s connected world.

Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA), the public agency leading the statewide expansion of broadband and digital equity in Maine, announces the opening of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Project Application, where applicants will submit bids to provide high-speed, reliable internet to locations still struggling with slow or unreliable service, or no internet connection at all. Maine was allocated $272 million in federal funding from the BEAD Program through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.