Washington, DC – February 17, 2023 – Today the Federal Communications Commission sent
Congress a report summarizing the impact of the Broadband Interagency Coordination Act,
which directed the FCC, National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take a whole-of-government approach
to broadband deployment in the United States. Congress directed the agencies to coordinate
specifically on the FCC’s high-cost universal service programs, and programs administered by
NTIA and the Rural Utilities Service within USDA.
The Commission’s experience with the Interagency Agreement, as well as the record,
demonstrate that the Interagency Agreement has significantly facilitated efficient use of federal
funds for broadband deployment, and strengthened and improved coordination workstreams,
the report said. It also recommended the agencies continue to coordinate, subject to the
constraints of the Administrative Procedures Act, to identify and implement standardization in
broadband data. Additionally, the report recommends that the agencies enhance the visibility
of their coordination efforts under the Interagency Agreement to facilitate greater transparency.
A copy of the report is available here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC391167A1.pdf.
