Now that the bipartisan infrastructure deal has passed Congress and signed into law by the president, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is focusing on implementation. She’s looking to staff up the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which has been tasked with parceling out more than $42 billion in broadband funding.
“I’ve been speaking with governors, with mayors, with tribal leaders,” said the former Governor of Rhode Island, who was involved in the Senate negotiations around broadband this summer, reported Politico. She told reporters at a White House news briefing last week: “Now that this is official, we’re going to significantly ramp up that engagement.”
Raimondo struck a conciliatory note about working with private internet service providers, in line with what passed Congress. Working with private ISPs contrasts with the administration’s original vision of leaning on nonprofits and local governments to build the networks.
She emphasized a desire to avoid “overbuilding,” spending government subsidies to build internet infrastructure in areas where private companies already have customers. The Biden administration, despite its urgency to close the digital divide, will take its time and be precise about how it uses those funds, Raimondo stressed.
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