NTIA Says It's Delivering on Broadband Pledges

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2024 - Responding t0 accusations of mismanagement, the Biden Administration is claiming it has made significant progress connecting Americans with reliable, high-speed internet.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the federal agency tasked with running the Biden Administration’s $42.45 billion effort to close the digital divide, reported on Friday that more than 2.4 million previously unserved homes and businesses have been connected since President Biden entered office in January, 2021.

However, the press release did not name the programs that led to the increase or provide details about the locations of the newly connected.

The Biden Administration’s implementation of its Internet for All Initiative has largely been characterized as a failure by many Capitol Hill Republicans and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, also a Republican. 

These lawmakers specifically cited the administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, which has yet to break ground in any state despite its $42.45 billion allocation from Congress in 2021.

The BEAD program is run by NTIA under Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

Despite Republican criticism, NTIA noted several areas in which it has successfully implemented funding to benefit American consumers.

The agency noted in its Friday press release that it successfully constructed or upgraded over 4,250 miles of fiber between the $1 billion Enabling Middle Mile Infrastructure Program and the $288 million Broadband Infrastructure Program.

These programs, in connection with the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program and the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program, connected more than 47,630 previously unconnected homes, businesses and anchor institutions to high-speed broadband while also providing more than 21,000 students with devices for use in schools, according to the release.

NTIA noted that Biden’s BEAD program had met or exceeded all statutory deadlines and had remained on track.

The Biden Administration’s Internet for All Initiative was intended for the deployment of broadband infrastructure to take several years. The NTIA said that it planned to connect everyone in America to affordable, high-speed internet service by 2030.