MATSUI, PALLONE URGE NTIA TO PRIORITIZE INTERNET AFFORDABILITY

WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Ranking Member Doris Matsui (D-CA) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) led a letterto National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Administrator Alan Davidson expressing strong support for NTIA’s commitment to internet affordability as it administers the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. All 10 other Democratic Subcommittee Members signed on.

The $42 billion BEAD Program was enacted in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand high-speed internet access, primarily for unserved and underserved areas. In 2021, one quarter of the U.S. population—about 80 million Americans—were on the wrong side of digital opportunity because they lacked a reliable, high speed internet connection.

“Access to internet service is meaningless to consumers if the cost of signing up is a barrier,” the lawmakers warned. “Studies show that nearly half of all broadband non-adopters cited cost as the primary reason they did not have home internet service. Congress has demonstrated a clear commitment to ensuring that internet service is available everywhere and also affordable, particularly for middle-class and low-income families. That’s why we were proud to support the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address the digital divide holistically with programs to advance access, affordability, and adoption."

Matsui and Pallone highlighted the affordability provisions included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including the Affordable Connectivity Program and other provisions specific to the BEAD program. NTIA was given administrative oversight and programmatic support responsibilities to ensure the funds would be spent consistent with Congressional intent, including the review and approval of proposals after significant consultation between the state or territory and NTIA.

“These are critical procedures for NTIA to follow in determining whether low-cost plans are in fact affordable for the areas and markets where they are proposed,” the lawmakers continued in their letter to Administrator Davidson. “What is affordable in one community may not be considered affordable in another, so the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law gives NTIA the responsibility of reviewing and approving different approaches on a state-by-state basis.”

Congresswoman Matsui has led national efforts to close the digital divide and ensure access to affordable broadband. She and her colleagues previously wrote a letter to NTIA in March 2022 as the agency prepared to implement the broadband programs in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, stressing the importance of affordability and empowering the agency to ensure as many people as possible benefit from the program.

A copy of the letter can be found HERE.

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