WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, delivered the following opening statement at today's hearing titled Oversight of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
Subcommittee Chairman Hudson's opening statement as prepared for delivery:
"Good morning, and welcome to today's oversight hearing of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). I want to welcome Administrator Arielle Roth back to the Energy and Commerce Committee. Administrator Roth was once a detailee here at E&C. We love to see our alum move on to important roles in the administration.
"NTIA serves as the President's principal advisor on telecommunications 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 $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (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 burdened it with onerous regulations that created only confusion and delays. The result: in three years, they only approved three state proposals and zero homes got connected to broadband.
"Last June, the Trump NTIA restructured BEAD, removing many of the Biden burdens. They eliminated technology preferences, unlawful rate regulation of broadband plans, and unnecessary labor, DEI, and climate requirements. I proposed a similar approach in my SPEED for BEAD bill and am 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 54 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. Look no further than their work in D.C. Rather than rubber stamping D.C.'s BEAD proposal, Administrator Roth and her team traveled around the District to see the places where D.C. wanted to use BEAD funds. They found D.C. wanted to spend $70,000 per location to connect a field house, a construction trailer, a gated Pepco electric utility building, a shed along Amtrak train tracks, a nonexistent building along the same Amtrak train tracks, and an open field off the George Washington Parkway-locations that we can all agree do not need broadband. Following this work, D.C. confirmed that they had zero unserved or underserved locations that needed funding. I applaud NTIA's work in rooting out waste and generating real savings in this program.
"NTIA's BEAD reforms have saved over $20 billion from the program. Now we must consider what to do with this '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 9-1-1 nationwide. Deploying this internet protocol-based system at our 911 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 other 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.
"NTIA also plays an important role in public safety communications. It supports the nation's public safety agencies in their adoption and implementation of advanced communications technologies, including NG 9-1-1. 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 Authority Reauthorization Act, reauthorizing FirstNet until September 2037 and implementing several essential reforms, including bringing the Authority directly under NTIA. We now await Senate action on this important legislation. I want to thank NTIA for working with us on this bill.
"Thank you to Administrator Roth for being here today. I look forward to the discussion."