NTIA Blog

NTIA’s National Broadband Availability Map (NBAM) has added Indiana and Georgia to its growing roster of participants. These additions closely follow the incorporation of Wyoming and Washington State to the broadband platform earlier this month. To date, NBAM includes 22 states.   

The NBAM is a geographic information system platform which allows for the visualization and analysis of federal, state, and commercially available data sets. This includes data from the Federal Communications Commission, U.S. Census Bureau, Universal Service Administrative Company, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ookla, Measurement Lab, and the state governments. The mapping platform provides users, including administrators from the 22 participating states, with access to the NBAM and its data to better inform broadband projects and funding decisions in their states.

With more and more states joining, the NBAM is another step closer to creating a national platform that can help inform policymakers and expand Internet coverage across the United States. 

For questions, please email: nbam@ntia.gov.

NTIA’s National Broadband Availability Map (NBAM) reached a 20 state milestone with the addition of Wyoming and Washington State. 

The NBAM is a geographic information system platform which allows for the visualization and analysis of federal, state, and commercially available data sets. This includes data from the Federal Communications Commission, U.S. Census Bureau, Universal Service Administrative Company, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ookla, Measurement Lab, and the state governments. The mapping platform provides users, including administrators from the 20 participating states, with access to the NBAM and its data to better inform broadband projects and funding decisions in their states.

40 percent of the states now participate in the NBAM. This positive momentum will better equip policymakers as we work together to expand broadband Internet coverage across the United States.

For questions, please email: nbam@ntia.gov.

Today, NTIA is announcing the establishment of the Communications Supply Chain Risk Information Partnership (C-SCRIP), a program to share supply chain security risk information with trusted communications providers and suppliers. 

Small and rural communications providers and equipment suppliers are the primary focus of this program, and our goal is to improve their access to information about risks to key elements in their supply chain. NTIA will ensure that this risk information is relevant and accessible, and we will work with our government partners to enable the granting of security clearances when necessary.

The C-SCRIP program was called for in the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019, which President Trump signed into law on March 12, 2020. The Act established a Federal Communications Commission program to reimburse smaller providers for removing and replacing equipment and services that threaten national security. This information sharing program, mandated by Section 8 of the Act, was intended to ensure that small, rural providers have access to the supply chain risk information they need before they make an investment, which should help mitigate further “rip and replace” programs in the future.

The Minority Broadband Initiative (MBI) has been closely engaging with Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) presidents, chancellors, and students on Digital Economy related issues since its launch last November. Building and maintaining conversations with key stakeholders has been instrumental in understanding and exploring options for leveraging HBCU broadband infrastructure to connect neighboring communities of vulnerable populations, especially during the outbreak of COVID-19. 

In May and June, the MBI hosted a teleconference with 77 leaders from 57 HBCUs to discuss HBCU institutional approaches, successes, and remaining challenges as they confront the immediate response to COVID-19 and set plans for the longer-term recovery. The schools’ leaders identified an ongoing need for targeted federal funding for broadband access, digital literacy training, and continued close engagement with government at all levels to expand the relationship with the HBCU community and ensure the distinct needs of their institutions are well understood by decision makers.

Today, NTIA is releasing results of its latest NTIA Internet Use Survey, which show that nearly 4 out of 5 Americans were using the Internet by November 2019, and are increasingly using a larger and more varied range of devices. Even as seniors and other demographic groups reported encouraging increases in Internet use, the data show that a persistent digital divide still exists based on income levels, age groups, and race, among other factors.

This is the fifteenth edition of the survey—the product of a partnership between NTIA and the U.S. Census Bureau that spans a quarter century—and it includes over 50 detailed questions about computer and Internet use administered to approximately 50,000 households across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The NTIA Internet Use Survey is a vital data source for policymakers, researchers, and advocates seeking to understand critical questions related to Internet use and help bridge the digital divide.

By NTIA

NTIA today is announcing the addition of five states to its National Broadband Availability Map (NBAM) program. Wisconsin, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, and New Hampshire join 13 other states who are partnering on this critical broadband data platform.

The NBAM is a geographic information system platform which allows for the visualization and analysis of federal, state, and commercially available data sets. This includes data from the Federal Communications Commission, U.S. Census Bureau, Universal Service Administrative Company, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ookla, Measurement Lab, and the state governments. The mapping platform provides users, including administrators from the 18 participating states, with access to the NBAM and its data to better inform broadband projects and funding decisions in their states.

With the addition of five new states, the NBAM is another step closer to creating a national platform that can help inform policymakers and expand Internet coverage across the United States. 

For questions, please email: nbam@ntia.gov.

NTIA has updated its BroadbandUSA website database of 57 federal broadband programs, spanning 14 federal agencies with billions of dollars for broadband grants, loans, and other resources. The site, created with the help of participating federal agencies, fulfills a goal set out in the Trump Administration’s American Broadband Initiative to make it easier for providers and stakeholders to find federal funding and permitting information.

The Trump Administration is poised to make significant progress this year in efforts to promote new 5G opportunities through mid-band spectrum sharing. In January, NTIA reported considerable potential for spectrum sharing options in the 3450-3550 MHz band. This summer, years of work by NTIA engineers in collaboration with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Defense will culminate in an FCC auction of Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) licenses in the adjacent 3550-3650 MHz band.

Incumbent federal operations in both these bands are primarily military radars and include shipborne, airborne, and land-based systems. But limited information exists about actual usage of these bands – what’s sometimes known as spectrum occupancy data.

Today, NTIA’s research lab, the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS), published a summary report that presents data collected from a two-year effort to measure spectrum occupancy in these two key bands. Interim occupancy reports were provided to NTIA engineers throughout 2018 and 2019, helping to inform CBRS policy. Today’s publication makes a summary of the measurements available to the public for the first time.

Broadband is more important than ever, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has been working to expand access and increase connectivity for all Americans.

We recently provided a one-year update to the American Broadband Initiative (ABI), the Trump Administration’s government-wide approach to connectivity challenges. Five new states – Nebraska, New Mexico, Michigan, Missouri, and Virginia – have joined the initial eight states participating in our National Broadband Availability Map.

We have seen increased participation in our State Broadband Leader’s Network, and our BroadbandUSA website now has the most comprehensive information on state resources available.

At NTIA, we have also worked with the FCC, businesses, and federal stakeholders to make sure our response to connectivity needs remains flexible. Most recently, NTIA supported Verizon’s application to the FCC for a Special Temporary Authority to access radio frequency spectrum due to increased commercial use.

We plan to continue our hard work to meet the needs of the American people.

Federal agencies have made significant progress across government to improve broadband access for Americans in the year following the launch of the American Broadband Initiative (ABI), said speakers in a recent NTIA BroadbandUSA webinar. The Trump Administration announced the launch of the initiative in February 2019 with the release of the Milestones Report, which outlined commitments made by federal agencies to improve broadband resources.

“Extending broadband to all parts of America is a major Administration priority, and the ABI is an important part of our overall strategy,” said Greg Watson, Policy Advisor at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The White House plays a leading role on the ABI and is working to streamline the federal permitting process, leverage federal assets for deployment, and maximize the impact of federal funding, Watson said.