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Highlights | Meet NTIA's OICG Staff | Resource Updates |
Upcoming Events
Highlights
Assistant Secretary Arielle Roth joined the CES 2026 Innovation Policy Summit
On January 7, Assistant Secretary Roth joined the Consumer Technology Associations’ CES 2026 Innovation Policy Summit in Las Vegas, NV. During the “Inside Washington: Hot Topics in Tech Policy” Fireside Chat, the Assistant Secretary’s remarks highlighted NTIA’s work to position the U.S. to lead in AI and the next generation of wireless, including 6G. Additionally, she announced that five additional states—Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland, Florida, and Nevada—received approval for their BEAD Final Proposals.
Assistant Secretary Roth participates in a fireside chat at the CES 2026 Innovation Policy Summit in Las Vegas, NV.
NTIA Announces Approval of 42 BEAD Final Proposals
At time of publishing, NTIA has approved 42 Eligible Entities’ Final Proposals to deliver universal broadband access through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. Thanks to the Trump Administration’s Benefit of the Bargain reforms, these states saw a surge in participation, competition, and private sector matching contributions—driving down costs, increasing skin in the game, and advancing innovative solutions for consumers. This progress can be viewed via the BEAD Progress Dashboard. Combined, NTIA estimates the Benefit of the Bargain savings will ultimately reach $21 billion.
Meet NTIA's Office of Internet Connectivity & Growth Staff
Scott Lively, Director, Technical Assistance
Scott Lively joined NTIA in June 2022 and currently serves as Director of Technical Assistance and Deputy Director of Strategy for NTIA's Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth (OICG). Serving in both roles allows Scott to work on developing program policies and lead the team that provides technical assistance to help stakeholders understand and implement the rules and policies to successfully leverage NTIA’s broadband programs.
Before joining NTIA, Scott was with NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association for 11 years, where he was the Senior Director of Government Affairs and Grassroots Advocacy. Prior to NTCA, he spent five years as a legislative director and counsel in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Richelle Crotty, PhD, Deputy Director, Technical Assistance
Richelle Crotty serves as the Deputy Director of Technical Assistance in OICG. She joined NTIA in August 2022 as a Technical Assistance Advisor. As Deputy Director, Richelle works to support grant recipients and federal program officers with OICG grant programs.
Before joining NTIA, Richelle was with the Technology and Information Policy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin as a post-doctoral research fellow researching the relationship between libraries and disasters. With 10 years of research experience in telecommunications regulation and policy, Richelle wrote her dissertation on the history of cellular network regulation in the United States.
Resource Updates
Technical Assistance
Per the ACCESS BROADBAND Act, the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth (OICG), serves local, state, and Tribal governments, industry, and nonprofits seeking to expand broadband connectivity and promote meaningful use and adoption through technical assistance. The complexities of federal grant programs administered through OICG necessitate a robust technical assistance (TA) function to strengthen the capacity and capabilities of NTIA, grant recipients, and applicants.
The OICG TA Team aims to enable success for recipients, applicants, and relevant stakeholders by providing resources that translate program and federal requirements into easily digestible content. Grants have specific, oftentimes complex, requirements throughout the lifecycle of the grant program that must be met to ensure program success. The TA Team provides support for the implementation of key program milestones by delivering training and resources, as well as providing one-to-one support, as needed.
TA resources can be found in the Technical Assistance Hub. With over 180 TA resources available to the public, the Technical Assistance Hub is designed as a one-stop shop for resources and tools in support of NTIA's grant programs. There, you will find guidance on program requirements, budgeting and financial management, tips for successful project implementation, and resources for reporting and evaluation.
Ensuring BEAD Permitting Success
Robust National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) capacity and expertise within a state or territory broadband office is key to BEAD’s permitting success. As joint lead agencies for NEPA, states and territories will communicate NEPA-related requirements to subgrantees through specific award conditions; supervise or review NEPA documents prior to NTIA submittal; and monitor subgrantee compliance as described in Section 13 of the BEAD General Terms and Conditions. This means actively hiring, contracting, or retaining staff with specialized NEPA qualifications and experience, and structuring NEPA teams to efficiently process subgrant milestone schedules and NEPA documents.
State and territory BEAD NEPA teams should work to leverage NTIA’s NEPA for BEAD guidance to focus on the following permitting priorities:
- Determining whether BEAD subgrant projects will include multiple NEPA projects and providing NTIA data to bulk upload projects into the Environmental Screening and Permitting Tracking Tool (ESAPTT).
- Incorporating strong Specific Award Conditions (SAC) language in BEAD subgrant contracts to ensure subgrantee NEPA compliance.
- Adopting effective tools and processes to track and manage permitting progress.
- Becoming experts on NTIA’s broadband permitting tools and streamlined review options, such as the Program Comment for Federal Communications Projects and Broadband Determination Keys, to expedite reviews and support timely project delivery.
Prioritizing environmental and historic preservation preparation after proposal acceptance will help BEAD subgrantees navigate the complexities of permitting and expedite broadband deployment.
Upcoming Events
Thursday, January 29, 4:00 pm ET: NTIA/BLM Federal Interagency Broadband Right-of-Way Permitting Virtual Summit
NTIA and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) within the Department of Interior is hosting a virtual summit to update proponents of NTIA-funded broadband projects on changes to Federal permitting rules since the NTIA/BLM Federal Interagency Broadband Permitting Summit held in 2024. Presentations and panel discussion will focus on rights of way and real estate permitting and presenters include representatives from the Federal Highway Administration, BLM, the U.S. Forest Service, and additional Department of the Interior agencies.