In 2019, the Trump Administration launched the American Broadband Initiative (ABI) with the release of the Milestones Report.  A year later, federal agencies have made significant progress across government to improve broadband access for Americans.  Please join BroadbandUSA on March 18, 2020 at 2pm ET to hear from key ageChad Rupe, Administrator, Rural Utilities Service (RUS), USDAncies that participate in the ABI who will highlight the commitments and accomplishments of this effort.  The event will open with a message from the Executive Office of the President on the status of the initiative. The National Telecommunication and Information Administration will provide an update on work to build the National Broadband Availability Map (NBAM), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Chad Rupe, Rural Utilities Service Administrator, will discuss the ReConnect program and some of agency’s regulatory changes that affect broadband permitting. Finally, the U.S. Department of the Interior will cover important changes to broadband permitting policies.

Speakers:

• Greg Watson, Policy Advisor, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
• Chad Rupe, Administrator, Rural Utilities Service (RUS), USDA
• Andy Spurgeon, Chief of Operations, BroadbandUSA, NTIA, DOC
• Karen Montgomery, National Program Lead, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), DOI