NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth to Keynote BEAD Implementation 2026
Roth's leadership comes at a pivotal moment, as states' BEAD deployments are firmly in the implementation phase.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2026 – Broadband Breakfast announced Thursday that National Telecommunications and Information Administration Administrator Arielle Roth will keynote the BEAD Implementation Summit 2026 on March 18, 2026.
Roth, who is also Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, will address critical policy and implementation challenges facing the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program as states navigate federal requirements and begin infrastructure deployments.
As NTIA Administrator, Roth oversees the nation's largest broadband infrastructure program and serves as the Commerce Department's lead on telecommunications policy.
Broadband Breakfast
Confirmed by the Senate in July 2025, she has prioritized expediting BEAD deployments while advocating for technological neutrality in infrastructure choices. Her leadership comes at a pivotal moment, as states' BEAD deployments are firmly in the implementation phase.
Roth brings nearly a decade of federal communications and broadband policy experience to the role. She previously served as telecommunications policy director for Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, where she led legislative and oversight efforts on communications policy. Before that appointment, she worked as Wireline Legal Advisor to former FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly and held senior roles at the FCC, including legislative counsel to Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, and counsel on detail to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
At NTIA, Roth has emphasized spectrum management expertise alongside broadband expansion priorities. In recent months, she has led efforts to identify 500 megahertz of federal spectrum for commercial reallocation and initiated reviews of federal broadband spending on educational technology.
Convening power at BEAD Implementation Summit
Her appearance at the summit will provide attendees with direct insights into federal policy direction as the BEAD program transitions from planning to deployment.
After convening national leaders at last year’s Speeding BEAD Summit and the inaugural BEAD Implementation Summit in 2023, Broadband Breakfast will again bring together government, industry, and finance as the $42.5 billion BEAD program enters its most consequential phase: execution.
BEAD Implementation 2026 will focus squarely on what happens after the awards: Deployment, capital, and technology choices that will determine whether BEAD-funded networks are delivered on time, on budget, and at scale.
With billions now moving into construction, states and providers are navigating a new phase focused on deployment realities, capital planning, and technology choices. This summit brings decision-makers together to share what’s working, examine emerging challenges, and align on priorities for the next phase of BEAD implementation.
Registration
Broadband Breakfast is offering a $245 Early Bird rate.
For media inquiries, sponsorship opportunities, or press passes, please contact Marketing Director Quinn Nghiem at quinn@breakfast.media
Member discussion