Frequently Asked Questions

Located within the Department of Commerce, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is the Executive Branch agency principally responsible by law for advising the President on telecommunications and information policy issues. See About NTIA.

OICG commits to providing digital opportunities and ensuring universal broadband access through four interconnected core pillars: funding broadband infrastructure and digital opportunity efforts; leveraging data to make informed program management decisions; facilitating broad stakeholder coordination to enhance understanding beyond data; and building the capacity of communities to actively shape their connected future. OICG prioritizes data-driven decision-making, employing resources to ensure federal broadband infrastructure grants benefit unserved and underserved areas. OICG furthers the deployment and use of broadband technology, which lays the groundwork for sustainable economic growth, improved education, public safety, health care, and the advancement of other national priorities. OICG also fulfills its other duties as outlined in the ACCESS BROADBAND Act, including connecting with communities that need access to high-speed Internet, promoting broadband access and adoption, and developing training and publications to promote strategies to expand broadband access and adoption in a variety of communities, among other legislatively mandated responsibilities.

NTIA’s OICG is also managing nearly $50 billion in broadband investments made by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA). With the passage of this legislation, OICG is responsible for implementing the following programs

• The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program
• The Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP)
• The Connecting Minority Communities (CMC) Pilot Program
• The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grant Program
• Three Digital Equity Act programs
• The Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure (Middle Mile) Program

NTIA launched the Minority Broadband Initiative(MBI) in 2018 in partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to work on solving broadband deployment challenges in vulnerable communities. In August 2021, Congress established the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives to codify NTIA’s work on the MBI. The OMBI, established within OICG, fulfills requirements of the Connecting Minority Communities provisions enacted into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.

The OMBI will continue NTIA’s efforts to collaborate with federal agencies; state, local and tribal governments; Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions; and any interested stakeholders to promote initiatives related to expanding connectivity and digital opportunities for anchor communities. To learn more, please read the OMBI 2023 Annual Report.

Managing Large Federal Government Broadband Investment Programs and Providing Grant Program Guidance: OICG, as enacted by Congress, manages the investment and post award management of nearly $50B in Federal grant funds for broadband deployment, adoption, and use programs across eight programs:

• The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program
• The Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP)
• The Connecting Minority Communities (CMC) Pilot Program
• The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grant Program
• Three Digital Equity Act programs
• The Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure (Middle Mile) Program

OICG focuses on providing robust outreach, guidance, and support to the public, grant applicants, and grant awardees to support transparency. OICG employs a data-driven policy-making approach to develop its programs and support post-award grant monitoring to promote programmatic success and ensure compliance.

Technical Assistance Hub: OICG’s Technical Assistance Hub is designed as a one-stop shop for resources and tools in support of OICG grant programs. It aggregates guidance on program requirements, budgeting and financial management, tips for successful project implementation, and resources for reporting and evaluation. The Hub provides comprehensive information that can be reviewed by Technical Assistance Type and Funding Program, centralizing pertinent programmatic and best practice information to enable grant recipients to succeed in administering its projects.

Connecting Stakeholders: NTIA helps connect stakeholders to federal funding opportunities that can support broadband planning, digital opportunity, and/or infrastructure deployment projects.

Our Public Notice Posting page displays State and Territory BEAD and Digital Opportunity Plans, Initial Proposals, Challenge Process Portals, and Subgrantee Selection Portals. Through the State Broadband Leadership Network (SBLN), NTIA can connect you with state officials working to further broadband access in their state.

NTIA helps connect stakeholders to federal funding opportunities that can support broadband planning, digital opportunity, and/or infrastructure deployment projects. NTIA has compiled a list of more than 70 funding opportunities from various federal agencies, including eight NTIA grants. Leverage the Federal Funding guide to find funding for which you may be eligible. We post updated information on these opportunities as it is provided by federal agencies and the Federal Communications Commission.

In addition, as part of our group technical assistance work, our staff can connect you with our networks of leaders working on broadband expansion and digital opportunity.

Interagency Coordination: The “one-stop” federal broadband funding site is updated annually and provides information on how to access federal funding to support broadband planning, public access, digital opportunity, and deployment projects.

Additional interagency efforts build upon NTIA's history of interagency coordination spanning multiple administrations over the past decade. NTIA promotes a “whole-of-government” approach to achieve the vision of its BroadbandUSA programs through encouraging consistent broadband policies and data, coordinating to maximize the impact of federal funding, and raising awareness about programs and funding options.

NTIA ensures statutory obligations related to interagency coordination are implemented, including those contained in the ACCESS BROADBAND Act, Broadband Interagency Coordination Act, and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

NTIA facilitates stakeholder engagement with federal agencies and the FCC by elevating stakeholder concerns, supporting briefings and information sharing, and encouraging regional coordination.

NTIA’s National Broadband Availability Map (NBAM): NTIA's NBAM is a GIS platform used to visualize and analyze federal, state, and commercial broadband data sets. NBAM includes data from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Economic Development Administration (EDA), the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), U.S. Census Bureau, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Department of the Treasury, Ookla, Measurement Lab, BroadbandNow, White Star and the state governments. Users, including administrators from 50 participating states, five territories, Washington, DC, and seven federal agencies, access NTIA's NBAM mapping platform and use these data resources to better inform broadband projects and funding decisions in their states.

Events, Workshops, and Webinars: OICG holds events, workshops, and webinars that bring together federal, state, local, and tribal officials, community leaders, industry executives, nonprofits, and other key broadband stakeholders to share real-world broadband success stories and lessons learned. We build the capacity of communities through outreach and communications efforts, including holding regional workshops and local coordination events, publishing tools and guides on effective strategies to expand broadband access and digital opportunities, hosting webinars, and convening stakeholders. Recordings of past events are also available on our website.

Grant Program Guidance and Technical Assistance Hub: OICG provides information and guidance regarding its grant programs. Its Technical Assistance Hub is designed as a one-stop shop for resources and tools in support of OICG grant programs. The Hub provides comprehensive information that can be reviewed by Technical Assistance Type and Funding Program, centralizing pertinent programmatic and best practice information to enable grant recipients to succeed in administering its projects.

Cohort Groups: OICG facilitates several cohort groups. These networks are cohorts of program grantees that focus on state level broadband efforts and state, local, and Tribal level digital opportunity efforts. To learn more about our cohorts, please visit our cohort page.

NTIA hosts webinars on topics of interest to a variety of stakeholders. To find out more about upcoming webinars, click here. If you would like to request a webinar on a specific topic, please email us at [email protected].

In-person and virtual events, hosted and cohosted by NTIA, bring together state, local and federal officials, regional and rural Internet service providers, community leaders, industry representatives, nonprofits, and other key broadband experts and stakeholders to share real-world broadband success stories and lessons learned. NTIA also hosts stakeholder engagements including one-on-one meetings, Tribal consultations, public webinars, presentations and remarks a national conference, and many others.

NTIA staff frequently participate in public speaking engagements which are additional opportunities to educate, inform, and promote awareness of BroadbandUSA programs. To learn more about upcoming virtual or in-person events, please visit the Events section.

NTIA staff attend events across the country to speak about the importance of broadband and share best practices and lessons learned. To request an NTIA speaker, please contact [email protected].

Events page for more information. If you would like to work with us to host an event in your area, contact us at [email protected].

Broadband in telecommunication means a wide bandwidth which can transport multiple signals over a “broad” range of frequencies and support different internet traffic types, allowing multiple data streams to be sent at once. To read more about what Broadband is and why it matters, please check out Broadband 101.

When a user connects to the Internet, the download speed is the rate at which data (websites, videos, music, etc.) is transferred from another source to the device. Upload speed is the rate at which data (photos, videos) is uploaded to the Internet. High-speed networks ensure that people can use the Internet to engage in telehealth, online learning, and remote work opportunities.

The 2023 NTIA Internet Use Survey shows that 12 percent of people lived in households without any Internet connection and 26.2 percent of households do not have wired high-speed Internet service at home. People cite many reasons why they do not use broadband, including cost, access, skills, relevance and perception. Many demographic groups have historically lagged in using the Internet. These include senior citizens, minorities, and Americans with lower levels of educational attainment. The disparities we find when looking beyond overall Internet use suggest that, while our country is making great strides toward getting everyone online in some fashion, the quality and experience of connectivity still varies greatly.

According to data from NTIA’s Internet Use Survey, 13 million more people used the Internet in the United States in 2023 compared with just two years earlier. For more information, see: New NTIA Data Show 13 Million More Internet Users in the U.S. in 2023 than 2021. OICG’s grant programs are designed not only to expand Internet access, but to ensure everyone in America can thrive online with affordable service, suitable devices and the digital skills needed for success.