The administration released a report on broadband in America Wednesday, and announced the American Broadband Initiative (ABI), a comprehensive effort to stimulate increased private sector investment in broadband. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration shares ABU leadership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the White House Offices of American Innovation, Management and Budget, Science and Technology Policy, and the National Economic Council.
In their report, 20 federal agencies set out strategies for streamlining federal permitting, leveraging federal assets, and maximizing the effectiveness of federal funding for broadband.
As part of the effort, the Department of Interior launched the new Joint Overview Established Location Map, which pulls data related to federal lands and assets from multiple agencies into a single map. This map will help the broadband industry more easily identify the location of spectrum assets, according to NTIA.
NTIA too, has begun work on a map to update nationwide broadband availability data, Inside Towers reported, initially partnering with eight states to give policymakers a deeper understanding of which parts of the country lack broadband access. In early 2019, NTIA plans to update the BroadbandUSA website to provide a one-stop shop for federal permitting information.
The telecom industry reacted favorably to the news. The Wireless Infrastructure Association commended the administration on report. “WIA has been working for nearly two decades on reforming infrastructure siting on federal property, and the ABI hits the nail on the head,” said WIA President and CEO Jonathan Adelstein. “The recommendations included in the report will alleviate numerous barriers to wireless broadband deployment by encouraging investment to propel broadband access across the country.” He’s especially pleased many of the recommendations on federal siting from the report of the Federal Lands Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee Working Group he chaired were included.
Competitive Carriers Association President/CEO Steve Berry said: “Streamlining federal permitting processes, leveraging federal assets to expand infrastructure, and maximizing federal funding are critical steps to closing the digital divide.”
NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association CEO Shirley Bloomfield noted: “We have accomplished a lot as a country to deliver better and faster broadband to more rural communities. But much work remains.” That work, she said, “will require effective partnerships between operators on the ground and initiatives that enable investment in deeply rural areas.” That’s why NTCA applauds the report.
February 14, 2019
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