Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth 2023 Annual Report

Department of CommerceNational Telecommunications and Information Administration Websites:https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/lhttps://www.internetforall.gov/ For questions or comments about this Annual Report, please contactBroadbandUSA@ntia.gov Internet for All - Welcome Letter The Internet is now the essential tool for communication in our modern world. It is essential foraccess to work, access to education, access to healthcare, and access to public services andjustice. And yet today millions of people throughout America remain unconnected. We have been talking about the digital divide in this country for more than 20 years. Thanks to theBipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), we finally have the resources to do something serious about it. The BIL provided a nearly $65 billion investment for a simple, but very ambitious, mission: toconnect everyone in America to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service. At the NationalTelecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), we refer to this initiative as “Internetfor All,” and we’ve made considerable progress already. NTIA spent 2022 meeting this historic moment by crafting program rules and policies, engagingwith stakeholders, and awarding billions in planning, infrastructure, and adoption and usegrants through programs to support states, territories, Tribes, minority-serving higher educationinstitutions, for profit and not-for-profit service providers — including over $1.8 billion awarded toconnect Tribal communities that year alone. In 2023, NTIA supported states and territories as they prepared to receive a historic level offederal funding through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program and toadminister previously funded projects. By working with the states, territories and the District ofColumbia, NTIA is laying the foundations necessary to ensure that America can successfully closethe digital divide. Implementing the BIL and Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA) programs over the pasttwo years has been both challenging and rewarding. By effectively targeting our resources,partnering with other federal agencies, employing individualized oversight, and engaging with localstakeholders, NTIA and the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth (OICG) are building uponyears of experience and partnerships to lay the strong foundations needed for states, territories,and Tribal governments to deliver on the promise of Internet for All. Thanks to the foresight of Congress, our country is making an unprecedented investment inconnectivity over the next few years, and we are pleased to provide this report detailing theprogress we are making to ensure that everyone in America has the connections and the toolsthey need to thrive in the modern digital economy. TABLE OF CONTENTS Report Introduction..........................................................................................6 About this Report.................................................................................................................7 Agency Overview..............................................................................................8 Fund Broadband Infrastructure and Digital Inclusion EffortsLeverage Data for Decision MakingFacilitate Interagency, State, Tribal, and Private Sector CoordinationBuild Capacity of Communities Introduction to Funding Programs.................................................................12 Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment ProgramDigital Equity Act ProgramsEnabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure ProgramTribal Broadband Connectivity ProgramBroadband Infrastructure ProgramThe Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives and the Connecting MinorityCommunities (CMC) Pilot Program The Work of OICG: Foundations Laid - Part 1...............................................21 Program Evaluation Framework.........................................................................................25 Maximizing federal support, reducing duplication, and promoting efficient use of fundingSupporting the success of NTIA’s grant programs and stakeholders by serving as aliaison with interagency colleaguesCollecting interagency data for Federal Broadband Funding Report and DashboardPermitting State Broadband Leaders NetworkDigital Equity Leaders NetworkTribal Broadband Leaders Network Federal Funding Workstream meetingsInteragency Stakeholder Engagement State Pages.........................................................................................................................Tribal Pages........................................................................................................................40156 Conclusion......................................................................................................186 REPORTINTRODUCTION Since the advent of the Internet age, Americans havestruggled to overcome the“digital divide,”the gapbetween those with and without access to the Inter