House Energy and Commerce Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Leader Bob Latta (R-OH) today urged Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Communications and Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA) to hold an oversight hearing to review ongoing NTIA activities and programs. This would be the first NTIA oversight hearing since the 115th Congress.
Excerpts and highlights from the letter:
“We write to request that you hold a hearing to review the ongoing activities and programs of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
“The NTIA has not appeared before the Energy and Commerce Committee since the 115th Congress. Given NTIA’s role in spectrum management and administering unprecedented amounts of broadband funding, it is imperative that the NTIA Administrator appear before our Committee as soon as possible.
“The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 provided over $1.5 billion dollars in funding for three broadband pilot programs and codified the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth, which was recently established at the agency. This office will be critical in tracking the construction, use of, and access to any broadband infrastructure built using federal support, and coordinating broadband funding programs across federal agencies to ensure federal funds are spent efficiently and in a non-duplicative manner. Given the new programs established across the federal government that provide hundreds of billions of dollars that can be used to support broadband access—including at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Federal Communications Commission—it is imperative that we understand how NTIA plans to track and coordinate these programs effectively.
“In addition, NTIA’s role managing federal spectrum and representing U.S. interests abroad is as important now as ever. We continue to see spectrum disputes between federal agencies and commercial industry arise. These decisions will only become more difficult as we work to make the United States a leader in next-generation technologies. Congress tasked NTIA to establish a spectrum information technology modernization plan to improve these spectrum management activities, and we need to hear from the Biden Administration about its progress on implementation.
“We request that you promptly schedule an NTIA oversight hearing to review these and other issues within the NTIA’s jurisdiction.”
CLICK HERE to read the full letter.
