Biden's new power player on broadband and Big Tech

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Alan Davidson, the newly confirmed head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), will manage tens of billions of federal spending on broadband — but he's also talking about helping set administration policy around app stores and privacy. In his first major interview since taking the NTIA helm, Davidson said his biggest priority is making sure every American has access to affordable, high-speed internet. The $48.2 billion in federal funding NTIA will oversee is a historic influx of cash for internet access, and Davidson will have to navigate thorny questions, including how to make low-cost internet service available. The funding also includes billions for digital equity programs and for Tribal broadband programs, which Davidson says will help the agency "target communities that have been left behind." "This is like building the interstate highway system," Davidson said. "If we do it right, it's going to have an enduring impact on people's lives." Davidson also said his agency will soon launch a review of competition in the mobile app ecosystem, with a goal of producing a report this summer to help develop Biden administration policy. Yet the broadband program will take up the bulk of the agency's resources and focus, even as it takes on tech-related issues, including a review of how data privacy issues affect civil rights.


Biden's new power player on broadband and Big Tech