NTCA—The Rural Broadband Association

The federal Universal Service Fund (USF) helps to ensure telecommunications and broadband services are available and affordable for all Americans, supporting critical access for schools, libraries, rural health care, low-income households and rural high-cost areas. Without the USF, it is difficult to make a business case to invest in many rural areas, to sustain networks once they are built, or to keep service rates affordable.

As we mark the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, I can’t help but reflect on how pivotal that moment was, not just for our industry, but me personally. I worked on the Act when I was leading NTCA’s government affairs efforts, and even then, we knew it was both a product of its time and an attempt to carry forward principles that would guide communications policy for generations.

NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association announced that Mike Romano has been named Chief Executive Officer, effective March 15. Romano currently serves as executive vice president of NTCA, where he oversees public policy, government affairs, and business development initiatives, the educational and community-focused mission of the Foundation for Rural Service, and several areas of association operations, including member engagement and information technology.

Many of you know my creed in leadership that we all have a finite time to leave our world better than we found it. And part of that recognition is knowing when the time has come in the life cycle of an organization to have fresh leadership, perspective, vision and a longer runway to get the job done. While this is a bittersweet message to deliver, this is the right time for our industry to make that change. We just came through a crisis over the past four years where we didn’t know if the essential Universal Service Fund would survive. But through our hard work together, it did.

If it’s August, it means it’s time for the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) Congressional Broadband Tour. This annual event brings congressional staff members to different parts of the country to learn about rural broadband and how it is critical for education, health care, economic prosperity and thriving rural communities.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the product of high-speed computer analysis of vast data sets that results in predictive guidance for users. It can be used across a wide range of industries and applications, including broadband network management; medicine and health care; writing and content creation; and customer  service support. AI represents both an opportunity and challenge for rural broadband providers and the communities they serve. AI promises efficiencies and other gains but also implicates privacy, data security  and labor market considerations.

We are writing to thank you for your commitment to the BEAD program for rural broadband deployment. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that established the BEAD program was passed three-and-a-half years ago—and yet not a single household has been connected to high-speed internet through the program. To fulfill its long overdue mission of connecting all Americans, we urge you to both eliminate the unnecessary and burdensome program requirements imposed by the Biden Administration and enable the States to move forward quickly with implementation.

NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission in response to the In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete request for comments. NTCA's remarks focused on the "elimination, pruning, or streamlining of regulations that are outdated, unnecessary, unduly burdensome, or inconsistent with their governing statutory authority." Notably, NTCA recommended the elimination of digital discrimination rules adopted in November 2023. The Association also opposes the addition of proposed broadband label requirements, including multilingual labels.