News and Events

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced 14 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investments to help bridge the technological divide, create jobs, and improve education and public safety in communities across the country. The investments, totaling $206.8 million in grants, are the final awards in a program to increase broadband Internet access and adoption, enhancing the quality of life for Americans and laying the groundwork for sustainable economic growth.

WASHINGTON -- The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced two American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investments, totaling $6.1 million in grants, to help bridge the technological divide, improve education, and increase access to legal services in North Carolina and Washington.

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced that it has awarded a grant to fund broadband mapping and planning activities in New Jersey under NTIA's State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program. The program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will increase broadband access and adoption through better data collection and broadband planning.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Commerce Secretary Locke today, joined by Senator Jeff Bingaman, Senator Tom Udall and former New Mexico Governor Toney Anaya on a press conference call, announced a $11.2 million Recovery Act investment to help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, create jobs, and improve education and healthcare in eastern New Mexico and west Texas.

WASHINGTON -- Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling today announced two American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investments to help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, create jobs, and improve education in Hawaii.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is seeking comment on technical approaches to preventing contraband cell phone use in prisons.

In a Notice of Inquiry published today in the Federal Register, NTIA is requesting information from the public on technologies that can significantly reduce or eliminate contraband cell phone use without negatively affecting commercial wireless and public safety services, including 911 calls and other government radio services, in areas surrounding prisons.

WASHINGTON -- The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced that it will provide an opportunity for certain state and local governments to apply for broadband stimulus funding to support public safety projects. The potential applicants are the state and local governmental entities that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently permitted to deploy public safety broadband systems using the 700 MHz public safety broadband spectrum.

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced that state governments and other existing awardees in its State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program may seek funding for various initiatives to help their communities compete in the digital economy and for up to three additional years of broadband mapping work.

FCC Press Contact: Jen Howard, 202-418-0506

WASHINGTON -- FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling met on Friday, June 11, 2010 to discuss their agencies' complementary roles with respect to commercial and Federal spectrum. Federal law directs the agency heads to meet biannually to conduct joint spectrum planning.

WASHINGTON – The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced a $10.6 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investment to help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, create jobs, and improve education and healthcare in New Mexico.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will host the 11th annual International Symposium on Advanced Radio Technologies (ISART) from July 27-30, 2010 in Boulder, Colo.  The focus of this year's conference is spectrum sharing technologies, including state-of-the-art technology developments and a dialogue on the policy implications of spectrum sharing.

Cross-posted from WhiteHouse.gov .

WASHINGTON - U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced 10 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investments to help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, create jobs, and improve education and healthcare across the country. The investments, totaling more than $63 million in grants, will increase broadband access and adoption in more than a dozen states.

BOULDER, CO — The Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS), a division of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce, today released a collection of online training and educational videos for public viewing on ITS's website at http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/video/.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced two American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investments to help bridge the technological divide, improve education, and increase economic opportunities for low-income families in New York, New York and Los Angeles, California. The grants, totaling more than $29 million, will fund computer training and provide more than 30,000 computers to middle school students and their families in high-need schools, enabling them to make use of key educational, employment, and health resources online.

WASHINGTON – The Department of Commerce's Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA) and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today released a new report, "Digital Nation II," that analyzes broadband Internet access and adoption across the United States.  The study – the most comprehensive of its kind -- finds that socio-economic factors such as income and education levels, although strongly associated with broadband Internet use, are not the sole determinants of use; even after accounting for socioeconomic differences, significant &nbsp

WASHINGTON - U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today, joined by Senator Mary Landrieu, announced an $80 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) investment to help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, create jobs, and improve education and healthcare in Louisiana. The grant will bring high-speed Internet access to more than 80 community anchor institutions - including universities, K-12 schools, libraries, healthcare facilities - and lay the groundwork for bringing affordable broadband service to thousands of homes and businesses in the region.

WASHINGTON – The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced that it has awarded grants to fund broadband mapping and planning activities in Virginia and American Samoa under NTIA's State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program. The program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will increase broadband access and adoption through better data collection and broadband planning.

WASHINGTON -  U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced 23 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investments to help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, create jobs and improve education and healthcare cross the country. The grants will increase broadband access and adoption in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today, joined by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, announced a $4.7 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) investment to help bridge the technological divide and increase economic opportunities in Clark County, Nevada. The grant will upgrade or open a total of 29 public computer centers in public housing developments and community and senior centers, as well as provide computer skills classes, job training and certification programs, and support community health programs through local partner organizations.

WASHINGTON The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced a $7.25 million Recovery Act investment to bridge the technological divide and increase economic opportunities in vulnerable and low-income communities in Los Angeles, the Central Valley, Orange County, San Diego, and the Inland Empire in California. The grant will fund digital literacy training for more than 675,000 individuals, enabling them to make use of key educational, employment, and health resources online.

SEATTLE - U.S. Commerce Secretary Locke today, joined by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, announced a $84 million Recovery Act investment to help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, create jobs, and improve education and healthcare in Washington state.