Walking into the ballroom of the Capitol Hill Hyatt Regency on Monday morning felt a bit like stepping back into pre-pandemic times as we had close to 500 NTCA members from nearly every state on-hand to meet with their members of Congress and share the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for broadband deployment. Add to the mix conversations about funding regulations, the future of Universal Service, tax policies for federal grants, the crafting of a new Farm Bill, spectrum and privacy policies and much more and you have an action-packed Legislative & Policy Conference. With 85 new members of Congress, there was also a great deal of education to be done on who NTCA's members companies are and why they are such a critical part of the digital divide solution for our nation.
The kickoff day was filled with discussions from key policymakers sharing their perspectives. U.S. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) kicked us off by sharing his long-time commitment to bringing broadband to rural Vermont even as a member of the House of Representatives and as a leading voice in the Rural Broadband Caucus. He also discussed how he is carrying that commitment over to his role on the Senate Committees on Commerce and Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, both key on the broadband front.
The Senator received a hearty greeting from Roger Nishi with Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom (Waitsfield, Vt.) and shouted right back, "Hey, Roger." Those relationships are truly what I love about representing rural American interests and the melding of policy with the personal.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Farah Ahmad shared ReConnect updates, noting the program has now exceeded $2 billion in project funding. April McLain-Delaney, assistant administrator for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, followed with perspectives on BEAD funding. She also noted the importance of NTCA members engaging with their states and other stakeholders. Congressional and FCC staff panels then took the stage to share the latest on relevant activities in their space.
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr sat down with me to allow me to pepper him on everything from his commitment to connected healthcare to the future of Universal Service and Universal Service Fund contributions reform. I also asked about his "Carr" trips around the country that allow him to watch broadband deployment in action. The Commissioner is always accessible and likely has spent more face time with NTCA members than anyone else at the commission in recent history. That engagement is invaluable!
Joey Wender, head of the Treasury Department’s Capital Projects Fund, also graciously shared his time and thoughts with NTCA members. The Treasury has gotten more than half of their allocated $10 billion out the door and is a very important agency partner in funding rural broadband projects.
NTCA members Brandi Lyles, Donna Bell and the Tennessee Broadband Association’s own Carrie Huckeby gave tips on how to tell the story of rural broadband, build Smart Rural Communities (SRC) and create community engagement around the SRC story. Their panel was an important reminder that data and numbers are important, but busy policymakers tend to remember the stories of how technology impacts their constituents. The Pew Trust and Ready.net also shared a review of the various broadband funding programs and colleagues in the Washington, D.C. advocacy space share our common goals around universal service. I was truly impressed with how full that ballroom remained all day long. Those drinks at the welcome reception that folowed were well received for sure!
Our second morning kicked off bright and early with our Congressional breakfast, where we were joined by U.S. Reps. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Rob Wittman (R-Va.) and Bob Latta (R-Ohio), who each shared their commitment to broadband deployment to rural Americans and their appreciation to NTCA members for the important work they are (literally!) doing on the ground.
I then ran over to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce where I joined their Permit America to Build event, sitting on a panel with folks from port authorities, civil engineers and members of the natural gas industry. Each of us shared our perspectives on how streamlining permitting procedures will ensure that infrastructure projects can move faster and more energy can be devoted to services provided than the headaches generated by obtaining permits and easements. It was very timely discussion given that my colleague, NTCA Executive Vice President Mike Romano, testified Wednesday before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology on the same topic.
Whew. What a fun, effective and very busy week.