Luján Presses NTIA’s New Chief to Act on Broadband Funds ‘Day One’
Restoring digital equity and broadband funds should be Roth's first act as Administrator, Luján says.
WASHINGTON, August 1, 2025 – Arielle Roth’s welcome gift as NTIA Administrator? A letter from Senator Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., demanding she get New Mexico its broadband money.
Luján, ranking member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media, sent Roth a letter Thursday, urging her to make it her first priority as NTIA Administrator to fully implement the Digital Equity Act and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, both authorized and funded by Congress under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“I urge you to fulfill your commitments to Congress that you will ‘follow the law,’ ‘act impartially,’ and ‘deliver the best broadband service possible for all Americans,’” Luján wrote to Roth. “Your first act as Administrator should be to immediately restore the suspended digital equity grants and swiftly approve and release BEAD funding to states like New Mexico.”
Member discussion