Armed with about $49 billion that Congress appropriated in 2021, a normally inconspicuous Commerce Department agency is tackling an ambitious goal of giving all Americans access to high-speed internet.
At a recent congressional hearing, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the National Telecommunications and Information Administration “may not be a household name, [but] the agency has done an immense amount of work in the last two years to help connect all Americans to high-speed, reliable and affordable broadband.”
The NTIA may have an uphill battle, however, as Congress tightens funding for affordable connectivity programs elsewhere and looks to trim the budget overall.
