An unsung, unnamed bureaucrat could soon be in charge of closing the digital divide

Photo caption: If passed, the Senate infrastructure bill allocates a whopping $42.5 billion for broadband deployment to states and local governments, all of which will be overseen by the NTIA administrator. | Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash. Article by Issie Lapowsky. Protocol – September 13, 2021.

As far as telecom regulators go, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA, has always felt like something of a bit player compared to the Federal Communications Commission.

While the FCC has soaked up the spotlight over the years — battling with Howard Stern and Janet Jackson, sparking a bot-fueled battle over net neutrality rules and overseeing billions of dollars in funding to close the digital divide — the NTIA’s work, […]

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