Oversight of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Subcommittee will come to order. Chair recognizes himself for an opening statement. Good morning and welcome to today's oversight hearing of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA. I wanna welcome Administra Administrator Ariel Roth back to the Energy and Commerce Committee. Uh, Administrator Roth was once a detailee here at the E&C. We'd love to see our alumni come uh on uh move on to important roles in administration, and uh and you certainly have uh done us proud. Uh, NTIA serves as the president's principal advisor on telecommunication issues. This includes issues like broadband deployment, managing federal spectrum use, international telecommunications policies, advanced communications research, and strengthening public safety communications. Much of NTIA's focus over the last year has been on the forty-two point four five billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program, or BEAD program. This program aims to connect the remaining unserved and underserved Americans to broadband. The Biden administration ran this program for three years, but burned it with honest regulations that created only confusion and delays. The result, in three years, they only approved three state proposals and zero homes were connected to broadband. Last June, the Trump NTIA restructured BEAD, removing many of the Biden administration's burdens. They eliminated technology preference, uh, unlawful rate regulation of broadband plans, and unnecessary labor, DEI, and climate requirements. I proposed a similar approach in my Speed for BEAD legislation, and I'm thrilled that NTIA implemented many of my ideas. 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 fifty-four final proposals, and saw homes in two states get connected to broadband. That is the speed we need. Administrator Roth and her team have done incredible work to save taxpayer dollars, looked no further than their work in DC. Rather than rubber-stamping DC's bead proposal, Administrator Roth and her team traveled around the district to see the places where DC wanted to use bead funds. They found DC wanted to spend seventy thousand dollars per location to connect a field house, a construction trailer, a gated Pepco electric utility building, a shed along Amtrak train tracks, a non-existent building along the same Amtrak train tracks, and an open field off the GW Parkway, locations that we can all agree do not need broadband. Following this work, DC confirmed that they had zero unserved or underserved locations that need I applaud NTIA's work in ruining out waste and generational uh and generating real savings in this program. NTIA's bead reforms have saved over twenty billion dollars for the American taxpayers. Now we must consider what to do with the nondeployment money. Although the infrastructure law outlines some uses, NTIA still maintains significant discretion on how states can use this money. I have made no secret that I believe some of this money should be used to deploy next generation nine one one nationwide. Deploying this internet protocol-based system at our nine one one call centers will open the door to advanced tools for both the public and our first responders, directly supporting the intent of the infrastructure law. I know many members of this committee have their own ideas for how we should use this money, including supporting telecommunications workforce development programs and permitting efforts. I hope today's hearing will shed light on how NTIA is planning to use these funds. NTI also plays an important role in public safety communications. It supports the nation's public safety agencies in their adoption and implementation of advanced communication technologies, including NG nine one one. It also supports the first responder network authority, the independent authority that oversees the nationwide public safety broadband network. I appreciate Administrator Roth visiting my district last year to see how FirstNet is serving the public safety community in Alamance County. As many of you know, the House recently passed the First Responder Network Authorization Authority Reauthorization Act, reauthorizing FirstNet until September twenty thirty seven, and implementing several essential reforms, including bringing the authority directly under NTIA. We now await uh Senate action on this important legislation. I wanna thank NTIA for working with us on this legislation. Thank you to Administrator Roth for being here today, and I really look forward to our discussion. I now recognize the ranking member, the General Lady from California, for her opening statement.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm glad we're holding this oversight hearing on NTIA. This agency oversees tens of billion dollars in federal broadband funding. The American people deserve answers about why the Trump administration spent the last eighteen months delaying broadband build-out and cancelling funding for states and local communities all while pressuring them to give up affordability and consumer protections. Reliable, affordable, high-speed internet is no longer a luxury. It's how our children can learn how patients access telehealth, how small businesses compete, and how families stay connected. That is why Congress passed a bipartisan infrastructure law and invested sixty-five billion dollars to close the digital divide, including more than forty-two billion dollars through the BEAD program. Congress made a promise to connect every community with affordable, reliable broadband. Instead of carrying out the promise, the Trump administration has spent the last eighteen months gutting it. NTIA has repeatedly moved the goalposts, missed its own deadlines, and created uncertainty for states, providers, and the communities waiting to get connected. Today we see the consequences. Providers are walking away. States are being forced to v- revisit decisions they already made. Communities that thought help was finally on the way are once again left wondering again. when or if they'll ever get connected. California has worked in good faith to meet the shifting demand, but we're still stuck waiting on NTIA's final sign-off before we can get shovels in the ground. From Sacramento to San Joaquin and the El Dorado Hills, families are now waiting well into next year while the Trump administration keeps changing the rules. Even more troubling, NTIA is still sitting on more than twenty billion dollars in bead non-deployment funding. Congress provided those funds because closing the digital divide requires more than laying fiber in the ground or la- or launching s- satellites into space. It also requires making sure people can afford to get online and have the skills and support to use that connection. Yet, months after missing its own deadlines, NTIA still has not told states if or how they can use these funds. leaving states in limbo and families behind. I'm equally concerned that in other areas NTIA's also exceeding the authority that Congress gave it. Congress never directed NTIA to override state affordability policies, disregard their net neutrality laws, or discourage states from negotiating stronger contract provisions to protect consumers. And Congress certainly never authorized NTIA to override state AI laws. Yet President Trump is threatening to withhold billions in broad-cat broad-band funding if states if he doesn't like their AI protection. The administration also illegally canceled nearly three billion dollars in digital equity funds, including seventy million dollars that's going to help California families. That decision stopped their proposed project that would have helped more than five hundred thousand digitally disadvantaged Californian households. gain affordable broadband access, digital skills training, and the devices they need to participate participate in today's economy. Across fifty California counties, including the Sacramento regions, seniors, veterans, students, people with disabilities, and low-income families are left behind because President Trump didn't like a program Congress specifically created to help them. Today I'm concerned we'll hear NTIA continue to dodge accountability, offer vague answers, shift blame, and exceed the authority Congress gave it. But the American people deserve clear answers. When will states receive certainty about funding? What legal authority does NTIA believe it has to impose requirements, Congress never enacted. And when will states finally be allowed to finish the work Congress directed them to do? Congress passed a bipartisan law. NTI's job is to follow it, not rewrite it. Lastly, we must continue leading the world in spectrum policy, which powers the devices and services Americans depend on to work, learn and stay safe. And that's why the U. S. government must speak with one voice at next year's World Radio Communications Conference. I urge and encourage NTIA to hold the spectrum summit to ensure that the U. S. has a united front with our strategic allies. And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.

Thank you. I now recognize the Chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from Kentucky, for five minutes for his opening statement.

Thanks, Chairman Hudson, uh thanks for holding a supportive hearing today, and I thank Administrator Roth for being here. Welcome uh to the committee, back to the committee. Um the National Telecommunication Information Administration plays a critical role in ensuring every American has access uh to connectivity and that the United States continues to lead the world and technological information. I'm sure Chairman Hudson, I know he spoke a lot about bead and I'm sure you mentioned that it took three years of the Biden administration to not get a penny out. I'm sure you brought that up, um when we talk about delays um but anyway, but I won't focus on that. I'm gonna focus on uh the work you're doing on spectrum. My good friend, the ranking member of this subcommittee and I have worked very closely together and very long hours on spectrum, so I appreciate uh being here together with her. So one of the important roles NTIA plays is managing the use of federal spectrum. Uh, as demand for five G, six G, WiFi, and AI continue to grow, we need to make sure spectrum is available for the private use sector. Uh, the working family's task-up directed NTIA in coordination with the FCC to identify five hundred megahertz of federal spectrum for reallocation for commercial use. Uh, I am pleased to hear that NTIA has already begun identifying bands for reallocation and studying other important mid-band spectrum bands. I hope NTIA NTIA can move uh quickly to get these bands to auction. Uh, this is crucial to maintaining United States' leadership in wireless innovation. NTIA also plays an essential role in representing United States in the international teleme telecommunications discussion, including this year's I-two-A meeting and next year's World Radio Communications Conference. We have our work cut out for us. It's in China. I don't know who decided to locate that in China, but it is, and I know we're gonna have to have all hands on deck in working together. I look forward to hearing from Minister Roth about our preparations for these two important events. American leadership globally is key. Otherwise, the next generation of technology would be dominated by adversaries who do not share our values and who cannot allow them to set standards to drive innovation and reap the economic benefits of our that should be ours. As I say that as uh I always say we're not competing with Europe to regulate, we're competing with China to innovate. We, as we did yesterday, protect our children uh from purveyors on the uh so through social media, but we also need to make sure that we have in place uh what's been really interesting to watch, and I've been I've talked about Europe quite a bit and have that example of what not to to do, as as European uh teams are staying in uh our s not just in our cities which we have, I I put our cities up against any city in the world, But particularly in our suburbs, I was just in Chattanooga at a wedding and the French, I mean, excuse me, the Spanish team is staying in the city of Chattanooga. And they're just saying that American prosperity is throughout the country. It's amazing how they look at the way everyday middle class Americans live. And they can't believe we have the standard of living that we have. I think that's been a great uh outcome from what we've seen of hosting the world in the United States cuz you people in the world can see. They can live the same way we live if they have the right innovation and the right policies in place. So as I always say, we have twice the economy of Europe where we had equivalent sized economies in two thousand and seven so it's important that we maintain our leadership so we continue to grow and and raise the standard of living not just for the people running the companies but the people who are working for the companies and benefiting from the efficiencies that come from these companies and we appreciate that and I will yield back.

Thank you, Chairman. I now recognize the gentleman from New Jersey, the ranking member, for five minutes for his opening statement.

Thank you, Chairman Hudson. The National Telecommunication and Information Administration, NTIA, plays a critical role in planning and coordinating U. S. communication strategy at home and abroad, expanding internet access and connectivity, and improving public safety communications. And as the president's principal advisor for telecommunications policy, the nti administrator responsible for leading an agency charged with ensuring americans continue to have reliable access to communications capabilities the bead program was established and funded as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law in twenty twenty one to provide a generational investment in broadband infrastructure for unserved and underserved communities across the country and for decades we've heard countless stories about how pervasive the digital divide has become especially in rural communities And that's why passing that law was a victory not just for red states or blue states, but for all communities lacking internet access. And this program was meant to address that inequity with state-of-the-art investments that would last for multiple decades. Unfortunately, the Trump NTIA has strayed far from that mission since January of twenty twenty five. Despite pushback from both Republicans and Democrats at all levels of government, the Trump NTIA is barreling ahead with its shady restructuring of the BEAD program, while impounding billions of taxpayers' dollars in grant funds across a number of programs authorized and appropriated by Congress. Commerce Secretary Lutnick and NTIA Administrator Roth have repeatedly violated the law and defied congressional intent in a manner that is increasing the cost of internet service and I fear opening the door to waste, fraud and abuse. Hidden behind the veil they call the benefit of the bargain, the Trump Administration forced states to throw out their broadband and bullied state broadband offices into awarding as many locations as possible to Elon Musk's SpaceX on the basis that it is the cheapest option. It's not the best option or the right option, but the cheapest option. When it comes to critical infrastructure like bridges or pipelines and yes, broadband, Americans just want the job done right. Even then, low earth orbit LEO broadband solutions like Musk's Starlink are only cheaper than the alternatives if you do not factor in each technology's lifespan and cost over time. And let me be clear, satellite connectivity is an important component of the broader communication ecosystem but NTIA's changes to the beep program ignore the fact that Starlink is already accessible to the public. Although prohibitively expensive for many Americans, any household or business currently lacking internet access could sign up today without one dime of taxpayer money. At the end of the day, all NTIA has done is hundreds of thousands of locations where satellite is now the lone monopoly provider, robbing consumers of choice in competition that are fundamental to making service affordable to middle class families. By taking thousands of miles of fiber off the map, the Trump administration has unnecessarily condemned vast swaths of rural America to the connectivity equivalent of a band-aid ignoring the spirit and intent of this generational infrastructure investment. To make matters worse, NTAIA has yet to demonstrate any certainty that leo providers will meet and sustain the statutorily required performance metrics at scale. And the trump administration is also failing to enforce the statutory requirement of the law that beat guarantees offer a low cost service option that is truly affordable to qualifying consumers this is yet another example of the trump administration driving up everyday costs on hardworking american families it's made enough closer skyrocketing as a result of trump's reckless tariffs and his reckless war of choice with Iran, but now his administration is defying the law and refusing to ensure consumers have access to low-cost service options for their internet service as the law intended. While households are finally being connected under bead, the Trump administration's inexcusable revamping of the program not only stopped getting shovels on the ground but it's also increased costs. And now we're seeing broadband providers leave the bead program and surrender their awards one after another not because of decisions made by the states, but because of moving goal posts and mismanagement from n t i a to minimize the damage already done n t i a must immediately deliver each state's non-deployment funds with maximum flexibility for their use consistent with the bipartisan infrastructure act and time is literally running out to put these dollars to good use and the delays have gone on long enough and with that mr. chairman i i yield back the balance of my time

thank you we have now concluded uh with member opening statements the chair reminds members pursuant to committee rules, all members' opening statements will be made part of the record. I'd like to thank our witness for being here today, uh, to testify before the subcommittee. Our witness will have five minutes to provide an opening statement, which will be followed by a round of questions from members. The witness here today before us is the Honorable Ariel Roth, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Administrator National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Welcome, Administrator Roth. Also, on behalf of the committee, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to your husband, Yakov, and your parents, Mark and Peggy. I know they're proud and uh we're very happy to have you with us here today. We extend our our uh welcome. Um, Administrator Roth, you're recon- recognized for five minutes for your opening statement. Make sure your mike's on there. I do that all the time too.

Pennings. Chairman Hudson, Ranking Member Matsui, and members of the subcommittee, it's great to be back and thank you for the opportunity to testify today. It's been nearly a year since I was confirmed to lead NTIA, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside the dedicated public servants at the agency to um advance an ambitious agenda, developing the largest spectrum pipeline in our nation's history, ensuring nationwide broadband availability, strengthening public safety communications, and promoting American leadership in the technologies of the future. It's especially meaningful to appear before you just days before our nation celebrates its two hundred and fiftieth anniversary. Throughout our history, breakthroughs in communications have ex- helped expand opportunity, accelerate the exchange of ideas, and strengthen American prosperity. From the telegraph to the telephone to wireless, satellite, the internet, and now AI, America has repeatedly led the technologies that shape the modern world. At NTIA, our responsibility is to ensure that the next generation of communications technologies continues that tradi- tradition by removing obstacles to innovation, expanding opportunity, and strengthening American leadership. Consistent with the Working Families Tax Cut Act and President Trump's memorandum establishing US leadership in six G as a national priority, NTIA is moving aggressively to identify at least five hundred megahertz of spectrum for commercial use. Thanks to our progress across the seven gigahertz, two point seven gigahertz, four gigahertz, and one point six seven five gigahertz bands, we are on track to meet that target ahead of our statutory deadline. To support transparency and accountability, NTIA recently launched spectrum dot gov so that Congress, industry and the public can track progress in real time. NTIA is strengthening engagement in international standards bodies, preparing aggressively for the twenty twenty-seven World Radio Communication Conference supporting American leadership at the ITU, and helping ensure next generation networks are built on secure and resilient technologies rather than standards shaped by authoritarian regimes. Another major priority has been reforming the BEAD program. When this administration took office, feed was weighed down by unnecessary red tape, market destroying restrictions, and requirements that exceeded the statute. Under Secretary Letnick's leadership, we restored the program's focus to its core mission, connecting Americans through competition, accountability, and respect for the law. By embracing technology neutrality, encouraging meaningful private investment, and focusing on fiscal discipline, NTIA's benefit of the bargain reforms have produced more than twenty-one billion dollars in savings, while expediting deployment. Today, nearly every state and territory has received approval of its final proposal, and Americans are already being connected through the reform program. NTIA is also working to improve connectivity in tribal communities through reforms to our tribal broadband connectivity and native entity programs. that reduce administrative burdens and maximize the impact to federal dollars. Public safety communications remain another core priority. NTIA applauds this committee's leadership on FirstNet reauthorization and the bipartisan efforts to strengthen governance and accountability for the network. Thanks to NTIA's enhanced oversight of FirstNet, Secretary Letnick was able to secure an additional two billion dollars in value under the contract, enabling further expansion of coverage and connectivity for first responders. In addition, NTIA continues to support this committee's bipartisan efforts on next generation nine one one including through our recently released study providing updated data on nationwide implementation costs. Finally, I want to mention NTIA's work on excessive screen time in schools. As a mother of six, this issue is deeply personal to me Technology has a role in education, but it should support learning, not replace the reading, writing, critical thinking, and face-to-face interaction children need to thrive. As parents have become increasingly concerned about the amount of screen-based instruction their children receive during the school day, NTIA has convened parents, teachers, researchers, and our partners across this administration to ensure federal policies put children's learning and healthy development first. NTIA is delivering results across our core missions. As our nation marks two hundred and fifty years of freedom, innovation, and ingenuity, we remain committed to advancing policies that remove barriers, unleash private sector innovation, and help ensure America leads the next technology frontier. Thank you and I look forward to your questions.

Thank you. We'll now begin questioning, and I recognize myself for five minutes. Um, Minister Roth, let's jump right in, um, when can we expect guidance? on how states can use remaining bead nondeployment funds.

Um, no, I understand that everyone in the members of committee in in particular are very focused on um this question. NTIA is extremely outcome driven. Um, we saw those results through our management of the bead program. We s- inherited um a a program that had been weighed down and we course corrected it um and saw incredible outcomes both in terms of taxpayer savings, faster deployment, and universal connectivity. And we wanna see the same uh effective outcome outcomes when it comes to the remaining funding that uh States have worked so hard to uh produce. Um, we want the funding to be uh to produce real measurable outcomes, um, be nondeplicative, nondistortionary, and, you know, I think we're really focused on getting the funding right. Uh, we're, we're,

Uh,

Mm.

appreciate that answer, and I I think your track record on the BEAD program at large uh it was it was excellent, and so that uh at least in my case creates some trust that you will handle this appropriately and correctly but obviously um we wanna make sure these funds are used but to your point, we wanna make sure they're used correctly and effectively so they actually reach real people out there. So I appreciate the care with what you're using but um we we wanna work with you to get this done as quick as we can. Um you you and I have talked many times um you know I'm a strong supporter of next gen nine one one um and and I've called for upgrading across the country to NG nine one one. Um, and we are having conversations across the aisle here to try to come to some bipartisan consensus on this issue, but I have said that that I think some of these uh non-deployment funds could be used to fund this NG nine one one upgrade. Uh, will you take this into consideration as you're making your plans with this money?

Absolutely. It was one of the uh recommendations that we saw when we held uh public listening sessions on the use of the funds and um I thank you for your leadership on on this issue. Uh Chairman Hudson I um I should have mentioned that it was is it I've really enjoyed working with you on public safety communications ever since my second day on the job visiting your district in Alamance County for a FirstNet um groundbreaking um. N NTIA has uh sought to provide helpful uh information to this committee on next generation nine one one um and applaud your efforts on this issue uh through our recently updated updated study i've uh personally visited several um nine one one centers uh most recently in fairfax county during public safety telecommunicators week and it's just very clear that ensuring that uh we see upgrades to um uh modern ip based technologies are critical for uh better response times, better location, tracking, and uh triage of calls. So, looking forward to uh appreciate uh the opportunity to work with you and the committee on this issu- on your bipartisan efforts on this issue.

I appreciate that. And I should have mentioned the study you did on the cost was crucial, and you moved very quickly on that, and that really gives us the facts we need, I think, to move forward with this program. So thank you for that. Um, Going back to uh Bede program writ large, um I understand that some providers have rejected their awards and have backed out of the program. Um what is NTIA doing to ensure that homes and businesses these providers were s- uh supposed to serve ultimately receive service?

Thank you for the question. Um so our goal is to see universal ubiquitous connectivity through Bede. That's the law and and we have and we're achieving that. Uh, to level set, n- we have seen some changes in the bead program, I think that's to be expected in a program of this size. Uh, we've on- we've only seen about one percent of what would be locations affected by changes but the good news is that we planned and we have a process in place to uh, uh, insure that areas that are subject to changes get served. Um, and, and we've successfully backfilled in um, in, in, in s- in o- about a dozen states where that's occurred. Um, and we're, you know, we're eager to ensure u- u- ubiquitous connectivity. Um, you know, uh, there are multiple reasons for why s- uh, you know, a provider, uh, would back out, but ultimately we're ensuring that providers that can deliver on their obligations are participating in the program.

That's, that's great to hear. So, the folks who may be backing out represent about one percent of the coverage, and you've been able to successfully backfill those cases.

That's right.

That's great. Thank you for that. Um, my time has expired. I will now recognize the ranking member for five minutes for her questions.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and welcome, Administrator Roth. Um, NTIA doesn't have the authority to regulate broadband rates and force states to give up their consumer protections. Yet NTIA is instructing companies receiving federal broadband dollars to insist that states include contract terms exempting these companies on state consumer protections like affordability and net neutrality. Administrator Roth, you've said, and I'm quoting from your October twenty twenty five Hudson Institute remarks, "any state receiving bead funds must exempt bead providers throughout their state footprint from broad-band specific economic regulations, such as price regulation and net neutrality." California has strong consumer protections, including our own net neutrality law. has long negotiated stronger broad-band contracts to protect consumers. Yes or no? Should California lose broad-band funding because it wants stronger consumer protections than what NTIA requires?

No, we agr- we believe that every state, including California, should get access to uh broad-band through the bead program. Uh, what we, our job is to implement the law, and the law specifically tells us to ensure the timely and effective deployment of broadband projects through the bead program and we know that one of the uh challenges at of of uh deploying broadband is an inhospitable regulatory environment. We want to insure that the program's successful, that these projects are successful, they're not uh subject to default and so that and and so we're doing our job by insuring that the states do their part to provide that uh regulatory environment.

Okay, but what specific authority did Congress give NTIA to require California suspend or limit enforcement of its own consumer protection laws? not just for bead funded networks but for a company's broadband operations throughout the state.

Uh the the law requires NTIA to provide rules and guidelines on the effective deployment of broadband through the bead program uh we know and history has shown that uh government price regulation uh undermines incentives to invest, particularly in rural areas where uh is already challenging. And so, regulations that are hostile to uh to that investment, as we saw, you know, in the pr- under the previous rules,

Well

pro- providers stayed away because, precisely because of um hostile rate regulation mandates. We - we don't want to see that mistake happen again.

Well, I - yeah, I'm asking where Congress specifically authorized an NTI to affect legal rights and obligations outside the scope of the bid funded project.

Oh, we are n- Yeah, no, we are not um uh preempting any state laws. What we are saying is that states have to, uh, with respect to bead projects, because our our mandate and our jurisdiction is bead, bead projects need to be protected from regulations that undermine the success of the bead program and bead projects.

So you're you're saying that NTI can actually tell them to just forget about any consumer protections, in this case in the state?

No, we uh, you know, we support consumer protections. I think that our focuses on rate regulation were motivated or were driven by evidence and data. Um, bipartisan Congress recognized or or actually precluded NTIA from rate regulating in the BEAD program, precisely because of data showing that rate regulation harms investment.

Mm-hmm.

Uh, we don't wanna jeopardize the success of BEAD projects, and so therefore we've entered agreement into agreements with the States where they've promise to ensure a uh uh a h- a healthy regulatory environment so that these projects can be successful

OK, well, I think I'm gonna have to follow up with you later on that. Um, Congress passed a bipartisan infrastructure law to connect Americans to affordable reliable broadband. It did not condition broadband funding on whether a state regulates AI. Yet the Trump AI executive ordered directs NTIA to withhold broadband funding from states with so-called onerous AI laws. California has led the nation on both broadband and responsible AI. It shouldn't have to choose between protecting consumers and receiving broadband funding. That's why it co-authored the Guardrails Act to repeal this dangerous executive order. Now, Administrator Roth, yes or no, can an executive order rewrite law?

Uh, y- you know, I serve the president and I implement the law and those two things are not in conflict. Executive orders are are lawful direction to executive branch agencies.

Uh. So, okay, so what specific provision in the bipartisan infrastructure law authorizes NTI to condition bead funding on a state's AI loss?

So, um, no final decision on the on the report has been made. I'm not going to, um, prejudge outcomes before, uh, we've completed our review. What I can say is that uh uh our report the the the report will comply with the law. I think that it's but it's also important to keep in mind the uh as we've seen there's a an- an- and as the executive order uh shows there's a um a symbiotic oh I'm sorry I'm I'm out of time.

Y- you can complete your answer.

Yeah, a symbiotic relationship between broad band deployment and uh an an AI. AI is how consumers broad band is how consumers get AI and AI's increasingly becoming embedded in um broadband network architecture so i think so the um you know the it's uh per our mandate to ensure timely and effective deployment of of broadband it's important that uh the regulatory environment uh reflect reflect those things outcomes

ok ok um i'd like to follow up with questions uh

yeah

um ok thank you

great generally this time has expired uh chair now recognizes the chairman of the full committee Mr. Guthrie for five minutes for his questions.

Thank you. Uh, thank thank you for being our administrator, Rolf. As I mentioned in my opening statement, the work and family task got directed NTIA to identify five hundred megahertz of federal spectrum for allocation for commercial. I understand that some bands have already been identified for commercial use and that studies are underway on others. How quickly can these studies be completed from there? Uh, from from there, and how quickly can we expect these bands to be ready for auction?

Thank you, Chairman Guthrie, and it was great to meet with you. Um, uh, uh, as I started my role as NTIA Administrator, um, thank you for your leadership and the committee's leadership on spectrum. Uh, getting more spectrum into the marketplace is a core priority of this administration, um, and we're working aggressively to meet the mandate set out for us in the working families tax cut act. Uh, we are on track, uh, not only to meet the, meet that mandate, but beat it thanks to the President's leadership in the winning, uh, the six G race. presidential memorandum uh and and we're going to identify spectrum in the seven gigahertz band ahead of schedule by the end of this year um and we're we're at NTIA we're extremely focused on on this mission we're um working on four studies at once which is which is unprecedented um and and so we're working with the FCC uh and and other federal partners to get um spectrum uh studied and identified as quickly as possible so that we can meet uh, chairman Carr's goal of five auctions during this administration. Uh, we

I think I was gonna ask how we can help you uh speed this up. It sounds like you're in the express lane already getting this done, huh? Is there things we can help you with to get it done faster, or do you feel like you're pretty comfortable the way that it's going?

Um, yeah, no, we're we're working very fast. We were able to secure uh funding in the two point seven gigahertz bad in half the time it took the previous administration. Um, so, you know, but at the same time what what we're working on and how we can get spectrum identified is through the spectrum relocation fund process,

Mm-hmm.

uh, which is really essential to ensure that we have the um, the certainty over what we're auctioning and under what parameters, um, so that an auction can be successful. Um.

So let me uh follow up. So a major component of reallocating spectrum from federal to non-federal uses is the spectrum reallocation fund. Uh, we've heard that these there can be barriers to agencies utilizing these funds, ultimately delaying the spectrum getting into the hands of commercial users. Uh, what can Congress do to reform the spectrum relocation fund so that it can be better used as an incentive to encourage federal agencies to relocate?

So, you know, we would defer to Congress, but I and we will abide by the law in the SRF.

Do you have suggestions of how we can improve it?

I think that what one

Do you have suggestions for telling how we can improve it?

Yeah. So one of the things that that we've seen is that some of the uh timelines perhaps could be truncated to more to get s- get funding to the agencies more quickly. and uh enable us to complete our studies quicker. Um, you know, one timeline that the committee could consider would

Mm.

be the the sixty day congressional notification timeline. There's also um a six month uh identification um congressional notification timeline um for transition funding so we'd be happy to work with you and the committee on finding ways to expedite this process and get uh funding um, get enables agencies to secure finding more experts.

Great. So thanks. So now the for the World Radio Communication Conference that takes place next year, obviously in China. So it's critical that we have a we go there strong with the unified position. Uh and so can you discuss the status of the preparation for the World Radio Conference twenty seven and our ability to develop a unified position on different agenda items so how's the preparation going where are we and can we

This is a

have a unified position?

This is a core focus of of this administration. we're working aggressively with our inter-agency partners to get our positions identified, while ahead of WRC so that we can build an international commission of, a a coalition of like like-minded partners, and uh build support for those positions. One of the ways NTIA did that was by holding a training in Ghana with uh twenty-seven key regulators from twenty different African countries. The um agenda at WRC is uh i- is going to be very satellite heavy and so we worked with those regulators to uh promote US uh commercial space interest, a very important uh which is a very important area strategically for us, and we're planning

What kind of cons- extra considerations do you have to give, given that it's in China?

Yeah, so one of one of the things that we need to do is ensure effective leadership at the ITU, uh the plenty potentially conference where there's where upcoming elections are happening is in is in is this November and so we're working to ensure that during Bogdan Martin uh wins her election as secretary general of the ITU, uh as well as the US uh wins in its other elections, effective leadership is important to ensure that we can promote our interests in an effective way at WRC without surveillance or or interference. That was an issue I spoke about at uh ITU council in Geneva uh in May.

Okay. Thanks. Well my time has expired, so thank you for your answers and I yield back.

Thank you, Chairman. Uh I now recognize the ranking member of the full committee, Mister Pilon, for five minutes for your questions.

Thank you. I, as I've mentioned, I have serious concerns that your tenure as NTIA Administrator has shown a pattern of decision-making ranging from irresponsible to outright unlawful. And the common thread that ties it all together is a dereliction of your duty to prevent waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars. For instance, the bipartisan infrastructure law specifically prioritizes broadband technologies in the bead program that are the most reliable, scalable and future proof, meaning that they will not become outdated or obsolete in the near future. But instead, you forced states to prioritize the cheapest bids, regardless of the technology's scalability or longevity. And it's difficult to ignore the growing list of similarities between your new bead program and the failed Trump Rural Digital Opportunity Fund program. Both incentivize a race to the bottom, fraught with numerous provider defaults, and open the door to waste, fraud and abuse. And worse, by imposing arbitrary per location price caps, you fail to accurately reflect the actual cost to serve the rural low density locations that are the specific target of the BEAD program and the decision to ignore the law has redirected valuable funding away from infrastructure that would last for decades to subsidies instead of for Elon Musk's satellite service which we know faces affordability reliability and spectrum capacity constraints. and is widely more expensive for customers in the long run. Yet you have issued no guidance on how they are supposed to ensure that SpaceX does in fact have the capacity to serve every location they've been awarded. So let me ask Administrator Roth, what evidence do you have to suggest that LEO Broadband will be able to meet the law's performance requirements at all times for the entirety of the locations it has been awarded?

I agree that the law is what should govern our decisions, uh and that's exactly what we've done by restoring technology neutrality in the program.

But do you have any evidence to suggest that Leo broadband

Uh and

will be able to meet the law's performance requirements?

So maybe I could just, you know, just to explain rather than requiring a tech mandate on the states, we enabled the states to determine which technologies would work in different areas given that we have diverse uh conditions across the country and that's Congress wrote the law in that matter,

Alright.

Congress set out performance requirements

Well I I understand but you know I I look let me issue this in order to verify compliance with the law, will NTIA publicly release the results of bead subgrantees speed and performance testing? Or direct the states to publish performance testing results? That's a way for us to get to the bottom of it.

Yeah that's in in our rules uh the provider is required to

It will do that.

um, is required to abide by our performance testing and make a

No, I'm asking if you'll publicly release the results of the bead subgrantee speed and performance testing, or direct the States to publish performance testing results. That's the specific question, yes or no?

Uh, yes, aggregated data is required.

Alright, I appreciate it, uh, cuz I do believe transparency is important to verify compliance with the law. I'm also concerned that you've restricted States' ability to hold delinquent providers accountable, or penalize subgrant recipients for failing to deploy our reserve capacity. And I think it's critical that we have some level of insight and accountability into the BEAD program going forward. So NTIA's semi-annual report requirements for the BEAD program mandate the state submit detailed progress reports every six months. And this report is designed to track progress agro- across the various stages of the BEAD grant rollout. So my last question is, Administrator, will you commit to publishing these semi-annual reports online? while protecting confident confidential information, just as NTIA did for the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program. Again, specific question, will you commit to publish these semi-annual reports online? I understand there's some certain confidential information, but you know, that it would not be included, but will you agree to publish those?

Uh, yes, I I there is already requi- yes.

All right, I appreciate it. I appreciate it. I wrote in a November twenty twenty-five letter to you uh that good stewardship of tax credit dollars is as much about the quality and value of the dollars spent as it is about the bottom line so i am concerned about you know these uh investments um you know being uh made you know the at the cheapest level as opposed to what i consider quality and and i and i and i think that that's wrong but i appreciate your responses today um and um And we'll follow up. Thank you and I'll get back to you, Chair.