National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) has been demanding an overhaul of a $42.45 billion broadband deployment program, and now his telecommunications policy director has been chosen to lead the federal agency in charge of the grant money.

With the new administration taking over federal programs, some companies and organizations are trying to change the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program to focus on technologies that are cheaper to build initially but may charge more to residents while delivering much less. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is running the $42.5 BEAD program to improve rural Internet access and, as Congress required, has prioritized fiber optic network investments.

As a new administration refashions the federal government in Washington, D.C., questions have arisen about the billions of dollars previously allocated to bringing speedy internet connections to every home and business in the U.S. Pennsylvania’s share of the National Telecommunications & Information Administration’s $42.35 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program is $1.16 billion.

The term technology neutral has been around for a number of years related to federal grants. The term is used among the folks who create grant programs as a way to not dictate technology choices—any technology that can meet the requirements of a given grant program should be considered. The term is taking on significant new meaning in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grant process. The BEAD legislation said that the program was supposed to be technology neutral.

The U.S.

On November 1, 2024, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded the West Virginia Department of Economic Development (WVDED) over $9 million in Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program funding to implement the West Virginia Digital Equity Plan. Major activities NTIA is supporting include:

Northeast Michigan lacks efficient broadband access, but projects both on a national and local scale aim to change that and spur economic development efforts in the Alpena area. Erik Frederick, chief connectivity officer at the Michigan High Speed Internet Office, is leading the efforts to connect everyone to the internet from city to countryside in Michigan.

There’s a new sheriff in town for the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Arielle Roth, policy director of telecommunications on the U.S.

On February 3, 2025, the nomination of  Arielle Roth, of the District of Columbia, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information (vice Alan Davidson, resigned) was received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Commerce.

The Be Linked Alabama initiative is the state’s united effort to expand access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet to all Alabamians. Coordinated by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), Be Linked Alabama led to the development of the Alabama Statewide Digital Opportunity Plan.