WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, led a hearing titled Oversight of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
"NTIA serves as the President's principal advisor on telecommunications issues. This includes issues like broadband deployment, managing federal spectrum use, international telecommunications policies, advanced communications research, and strengthening public safety communications," said Chairman Hudson. "In the one year since reforming BEAD, this Administration got each state to run a new bidding round that saved taxpayers billions of dollars, approved 54 final proposals, and saw homes in two states get connected to broadband. That is the speed we need."
Watch the full hearing here.
Below are key excerpts from today's hearing:
Congressman Russell Fry (SC-07): "I think a lot is at stake in our technology race with the CCP at the World Radio Conference, particularly our leadership in 6 GHz band and the growth of our unlicensed Wi-Fi ecosystem that is really the envy of the world. Almost 100 countries have followed the United States' lead in making all or a portion of their 6 GHz band available for unlicensed use. What steps is NTIA taking to protect the success of our approach?" Administrator Roth: "Ensuring that we lead the world at the 2027 WRC is front and center to our agenda. And as you identified, one of our priorities is protecting the American position when it comes to the 6 GHz band."
Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05): "You said real magic words here in Washington: cutting red tape. That's music to a lot of people's ears. The NTIA had not been reauthorized for over 30 years, and legislation that I worked on, which has been signed into law, is making sure we get NTIA into the next century. Could you speak to the changes you've made to the deployment program to ensure that we don't repeat what happened in the previous administration with reauthorization changes?" Administrator Roth: "We stripped out red tape and hostile mandates. We restored the program to its statutory mission, and we've seen incredible results in terms of participation, a diverse technology mix, more skin in the game for projects, and universal connectivity on a more expedited timeline. Projects are currently getting deployed as we speak."
Congressman Craig Goldman (TX-12): "Spectrum decisions will directly affect jobs and investment across our state as NTIA implements the spectrum provisions that we passed last year and evaluates the two, four and seven gigahertz bands. Can you update us on the progress of that work, and how would implementing these provisions advance US and Texas leadership in 5G and 6G and next-generation technologies?" Administrator Roth: "As you said, Texas is a leader when it comes to technological innovation. [...] Getting our spectrum identified under the Working Families Tax Cut Act is one of our best ways to promote that continued innovation, increase economic growth, and promote national security, as well as domestic jobs. So, we're laser-focused on completing that identification and getting more spectrum into the marketplace as quickly as possible so that the US can continue to lead in this area."
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