BEAD critic Arielle Roth confirmed to lead NTIA
Photo by Victor Ovies Arenas via Getty Images
By
Chris Teale
Roth will oversee the $42 billion federal program, having previously criticized it for pushing a “woke social agenda.”
The U.S. Senate confirmed Arielle Roth, President Donald Trump’s nominee to run the federal agency responsible for administering its massive program to expand broadband, on Wednesday.
Senators voted 52-42 to confirm Roth as assistant secretary of Commerce for communications and information, and administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. In her new role, she will oversee the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, an effort started under former President Joe Biden that she has criticized in the past.
Roth received support along party lines for her nomination in the Senate Commerce Committee. Chair Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, said there is “no one better” than her for the role, especially to reinvigorate the BEAD program.
“President Trump and [Commerce Secretary Howard] Lutnick have charted a new course from the prior administration's inaction and ideological hand-wringing,” Cruz said in a floor speech last week. “With Ariel at the helm of NTIA, I have no doubt that BEAD will succeed in its mission: connecting Americans to the internet as expeditiously and efficiently as possible."
Lutnick announced a series of changes to BEAD last month, in an effort he said would speed up the process of rolling out broadband under the program. What Lutnick described as “critical reforms” included making BEAD technology-neutral, rather than favoring fiber, as well as relaxing various rules around workforce, climate and the environment. Those changes came after he announced a review of the program in March.
The new rules set off a scramble as states looked to comply with the new federal guidance, but NTIA said recently that states have since hit the new deadlines to receive funding. During her confirmation hearing, Roth pledged to “finish the job” on BEAD, which was funded under the 2021 infrastructure law.
“Thanks to Congress’s historic, bipartisan investments in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, NTIA has a responsibility to ensure that these funds are spent efficiently, expeditiously, and consistent with the law as written by Congress,” Roth said in her opening statement at the time.
Industry groups quickly praised her confirmation. USTelecom | The Broadband Association President and CEO Jonathan Spalter said in a statement it comes at “a pivotal time for American innovation and connectivity.” Others agreed.
“From broadband deployment to spectrum management and permitting reform, NTIA’s success is pivotal for the future of connectivity in our nation,” Patrick Halley, president and CEO of the Wireless Infrastructure Association, said in a statement. “Arielle is the right leader for the job, and we look forward to working with her on smart policies to accelerate continued wireless growth and innovation.”
Those working every day to close the digital divide between urban and rural communities also said they welcomed the opportunity to work with Roth and NTIA.
"Access to affordable, reliable broadband service is a necessity for every community — yet many in rural America remain disconnected,” National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson said in a statement. “Electric co-ops across the country continue stepping up to connect rural communities to reliable broadband service."