Media Contact: 
Will Wiquist, (202) 418-0509
will.wiquist@fcc.gov

For Immediate Release

CHAIRMAN PAI STATEMENT ON THE BROADBAND DATA ACT
  -- 
WASHINGTON, March 24, 2020— Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai issued the following statement about President Trump signing the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (Broadband DATA) Act into law:

“I applaud the President for signing the Broadband DATA Act and thank the leadership of the Senate and House Commerce Committees for their bipartisan work in moving this legislation through Congress.  The Act affirms the FCC’s approach to collecting more precise and granular broadband data through our new Digital Opportunity Data Collection program.  

“At this point, it is vital for Congress to provide the FCC as soon as possible with the appropriations necessary to implement the Act.  Right now, the FCC does not have the funding to carry out the Act, as we have warned for some time.  And given the Act’s prohibition on the Universal Service Administrative Company performing this mapping work, if Congress does not act soon, this well-intentioned legislation will have the unfortunate effect of delaying rather than expediting the development of better broadband maps.  I look forward to working with Congress in the weeks ahead to secure this funding, so that we can ensure that we have the best tools available for bridging the digital divide for the American people.”     

###

Office of Chairman Pai: (202) 418-1000 / Twitter: @AjitPaiFCC / www.fcc.gov/leadership/ajit-pai

This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.  See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).