Ted Cruz Leads Senate Commerce Committee Confirmation Hearing For Asst. Commerce Secretary Nominee

2 days ago

The Senate Commerce Committee holds a confirmation hearing for Arielle Roth, nominee to be Assistant Commerce Secretary.

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Transcript

00:00:00to be the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information.

00:00:06If confirmed, Ms. Roth will lead the National Telecommunications and Information Administration,

00:00:12the NTIA, at the Department of Commerce, and will advise the President on telecommunications

00:00:18and information policy.

00:00:20As folks here know, Ariel is an esteemed member of the Republican staff on this committee.

00:00:26I'm not sure I've ever met anyone as passionate about telecommunications law and policy as

00:00:32Ariel.

00:00:33Her work ethic is indefatigable and only rivaled by her dedication to public service.

00:00:40If she is confirmed, President Trump's administration will be blessed to be getting her great talents.

00:00:46For more than two years, Ariel has done an exceptional job as our Telecommunications

00:00:50Policy Director.

00:00:52She has led our efforts to promote affordable connectivity, to protect the taxpayer against

00:00:56wasteful spending, and to promote economic innovation in telecom.

00:01:02And as a mother, she has been a tireless advocate for protecting children from excessive

00:01:07screen time and online harms.

00:01:10If confirmed, Ariel will play an integral role in the management of the federal government's

00:01:15use of the electromagnetic spectrum.

00:01:18She will work closely with federal agencies to protect critical uses of spectrum, whether

00:01:23for national defense, weather forecasting, or transportation, while identifying opportunities

00:01:30to free up spectrum for commercial use.

00:01:33As I've stated before, American leadership in spectrum is vital to the security of global

00:01:39telecommunication networks, our own national security, and our economic success.

00:01:46NTIA also plays a crucial role in administering billions of dollars for federal broadband

00:01:52programs like the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment, the BEAD program.

00:01:59Due to inaction and ideological hand-wringing by the previous administration, to date, BEAD

00:02:06has not connected even a single American to high-speed Internet service.

00:02:12Consider that again, $42 billion to connect zero human beings.

00:02:18This is the result of prioritizing partisan requirements like, quote, climate resiliency

00:02:25and rate regulation over actually connecting those who are offline.

00:02:31Such requirements, which were never approved by Congress or codified in statute, had virtually

00:02:36nothing to do with BEAD's intended purpose.

00:02:39Now we have an opportunity to strip away the fluff and to redirect the program back

00:02:43to its core mission of connecting Americans to broadband.

00:02:49Ariel's qualifications show that she is the right person for this job.

00:02:53Her telecommunication experience dates back to her time as a legal fellow at the Hudson

00:02:58Institute Center for Economics of the Internet.

00:03:02Then for four years, Ms. Roth served at the Federal Communication Commission as the wireless

00:03:07advisor for then-Commissioner Michael O'Reilly.

00:03:11Ms. Roth next turned to Congress, where she worked on telecommunications policy at the

00:03:16House Energy and Commerce Committee and later as legislative counsel to our friend Senator

00:03:21Roy Blunt, a long-serving former member of this committee who has come back to join us

00:03:27today.

00:03:29Simply put, her experience, both in Congress and at the FCC, makes her ideally suited to

00:03:38lead NTIA.

00:03:40I have received letters of support for Ms. Roth from major telecommunication groups representing

00:03:45sectors from radio to Internet to broadband.

00:03:49I wholeheartedly support her confirmation and look forward to hearing more about her

00:03:53approach to managing NTIA, and I would note that she is joined by her beautiful family,

00:03:59her husband, her five children, and number six, which could arrive at any time, including

00:04:05during this hearing.

00:04:07And so I'm going to ask all of my colleagues to be gentle, unless we have to call our colleague

00:04:14Roger Marshall to deliver a child during a confirmation hearing.

00:04:18But I'm hopeful the timing won't exactly—

00:04:20He was an ophthalmologist.

00:04:21I thought he was an ophthalmologist.

00:04:22No, no, no.

00:04:23No, no, no.

00:04:24You know, Roger's delivered like 5,000 babies.

00:04:28That's Rand Paul.

00:04:29That's Rand.

00:04:30Don't call Rand.

00:04:31That might not be the move.

00:04:32Rand would do eye surgery, which would not be the right response, but Roger would be

00:04:36up to the task.

00:04:38And with that, I recognize the ranking member for her opening remarks.

00:04:42Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and congratulations on your nomination.

00:04:47Welcome to your family, all coordinated there, and this crucial role that NTIA plays in administering

00:04:55billions of dollars in broadband expansion and managing the use of federal spectrum.

00:05:00You have a good advocate next to you, who we miss having here on the committee, and

00:05:05we look forward to hearing from Senator Blount in a few minutes.

00:05:10Ms. Roth, I expect to have a very substantive conversation about your vision and priorities

00:05:15for NTIA.

00:05:16I want to hear from you about your plans for leading this agency.

00:05:20You have worked on and spoken publicly about many of these issues for several years, so

00:05:25I expect we can have that robust discussion.

00:05:28The $42 billion BEED equity access and development program I'm sure is top of mind for many members

00:05:34here today, as it is for me, but just to clarify, when Senator Wicker and I were working together

00:05:41as the chair and ranking member for this committee, we did not pass this legislation out of committee.

00:05:49It was worked by a group of bipartisan members on the Senate floor.

00:05:53I think it's safe to say that both Senator Wicker and I objected to that process because

00:05:57we thought the Committee of Jurisdiction should be listened to and that there would be some

00:06:00haphazardness with the program as it then would be implemented.

00:06:05In my home state, where Microsoft has better broadband maps than the FCC, it's frustrating

00:06:11to my constituents, but we do not agree with Secretary Lutnick's announcement to just clear

00:06:18out the changes to the broadband program.

00:06:21One of the proposals in the broadband program we think is being worked successfully is the

00:06:25middle mile program by our colleagues, Senator Rosen and others, that was also sponsored

00:06:31by myself and Senator from West Virginia, because we think that fiber broadband is a

00:06:39really good solution for lots of different reasons, certainly on the security level.

00:06:44So we do believe that changes could undermine the goals of helping states achieve these

00:06:49goals and connect all their residents.

00:06:52I hope that you will commit today to allowing states to proceed, not just Washington or

00:06:57states like Delaware, Nevada, and Louisiana, which are ready to do shovel-ready projects,

00:07:03but hear from you about how you see those plans being carried out.

00:07:07My concerns about delays and uncertainty of the program is that while Elon Musk and

00:07:15others have solutions in the marketplace, they certainly have been deployed in my state.

00:07:21People want to understand and make sure there are not conflicts of interest there, and want

00:07:26to understand how those policies and prospects are going to be dealt with.

00:07:30I'm also concerned that President Trump's tariffs will impact the cost of materials

00:07:35and ultimately cost us more in driving up broadband costs.

00:07:38A new study by Price Waterhouse Coopers indicates that the proposed tariffs could cost about

00:07:44$126 billion or more across the technology and telecommunications sector.

00:07:50Ultimately, tariffs mean higher costs, and higher costs mean the dollars won't go as

00:07:54far.

00:07:55Also, the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is of great interest.

00:08:00It's critical to advancing broadband deployment on tribal lands, as well as important internet

00:08:08adoptions and skill rates.

00:08:10Nineteen tribes in Washington have received funds from the Tribal Broadband Connectivity

00:08:16Program to ensure that high-speed, reliable internet is affordable across tribal Indian

00:08:21country.

00:08:22So, there's also about $1 billion left to award, and NTIA must expeditiously, in my

00:08:27opinion, award those tribal dollars.

00:08:30Mr. Chairman, there's many times that this committee and the Indian Affairs Committee

00:08:35go back and forth over this, and I would say that the summation of this has been a lot

00:08:39of frustration about telecom policy not getting carried out in Indian country, and then there

00:08:46being the more directive $2 billion program that was part of the bead package, saying

00:08:51to NTIA, no, no, no, you do this, we want direct accountability.

00:08:56So we will want to hear about that direct accountability in Indian country.

00:09:02There are other issues that we'd like to hear about, particularly on the issue of cybersecurity

00:09:07and cyberattacks, including the one at Sea-Tac Airport and the nationwide salt typhoon attack.

00:09:14These are just only increasing in frequency.

00:09:17NTIA is also responsible for managing spectrum, as you mentioned, Mr. Chairman, and this job

00:09:25that Ms. Roth is seeking will serve as the president's principal advisor on these issues.

00:09:29I've long advocated for an evidence-based approach to spectrum management and the many

00:09:34challenges we face.

00:09:37During the first Trump administration, the race to bring spectrum to commercial market

00:09:41without proper studies or interagency coordination, most notably auctioning of the C-band for

00:09:475G without coordination with the FAA.

00:09:50The risk of this interference and confusion that it means to grounding flights is something

00:09:56we need to avoid in the future.

00:09:58We also need to have a clear conversation about our national security interests, and

00:10:03I know that this is something that Ms. Roth has had a lot of attention on, as here in

00:10:09the committee we've had a discussion about middle-band spectrum.

00:10:12So look forward to asking you about how we preserve our national security agenda.

00:10:18That is why I believe that the NTIA administrator on this issue is so critically important.

00:10:24There's a lot to do to achieve security and competitiveness for our nation.

00:10:28Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

00:10:32I now recognize our friend and former colleague, the senator from the great state of Missouri,

00:10:37Roy Blunt.

00:10:38And I would note that when he was here, one of the things that Senator Blunt took the

00:10:41lead on was renovating this hearing room.

00:10:45And as Ranking Member Cantwell observed, he built this fancy dais with all this high

00:10:50tech here, and she said she suggested at the time we should put a plaque naming this the

00:10:55Blunt Dais, and I think that is an excellent idea.

00:10:59And I am hereby instructing my staff to make it happen, because it's a great idea.

00:11:05And with that, Senator Blunt, you are recognized to introduce the nominee.

00:11:11I might have to include Senator Klobuchar on that dais as the ranking member at the

00:11:16time and a great person to work with.

00:11:19But great to be here with you.

00:11:20I also want to say...

00:11:21We'll take that as a friendly amendment.

00:11:23Friendly amendment.

00:11:24You and I both had the opportunity to work with Ariel.

00:11:27Your comments about her work ethic, her dedication to the job and her family and her country

00:11:33all are good, and I'm really delighted to be here.

00:11:37I'm glad to be here with you and Ranking Member Senator Cantwell, members of the committee.

00:11:41Happy to be back in the Commerce Committee.

00:11:43I served for 12 years on the House Commerce Committee and 12 years on this committee,

00:11:49and I liked every day of it.

00:11:52I'm most pleased to be here with Ariel Roth.

00:11:55She is here because of her nomination to be the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications

00:12:02and Information.

00:12:03I think she's exactly the kind of thorough and principled leader the President, Secretary

00:12:08Lutnick and our fellow citizens need to have and should have in this job.

00:12:14Many of you have come to know her well because she's worked for the committee for the past

00:12:19two years and for Chairman Cruz.

00:12:22Prior to her time leading the telecommunications oversight for the chairman, Ariel was a trusted

00:12:29legislative counsel in my office from August of 2021 until I retired in January of 2023.

00:12:37During that time, she handled the entire breadth of our Commerce Committee portfolio, everything

00:12:44from travel and tourism to broadband and telecommunications policy was something she worked on, worked

00:12:52with members of this committee to shepherd the lasting bipartisan bills to the President's

00:12:58desk that included restoring the brand USA.

00:13:02I did that with Senator Klobuchar as a principal sponsor.

00:13:05The Low Power TV Protection Act with Senator Wyden and Senator Klobuchar were all things

00:13:11that Ariel Roth worked on.

00:13:15Before joining my office, as you said, Chairman, she'd worked for the FCC and on the House

00:13:19Energy and Commerce Committee, obviously very helpful experience for the job she's been

00:13:25nominated to.

00:13:27As many of you know, one of my chief priorities as Senator was to expand broadband access

00:13:33in underserved communities.

00:13:35When I started working on that problem, two-thirds of Missourians did not have access to adequate

00:13:42high-speed broadband.

00:13:43It was still 30 percent, so there's still a lot to be done.

00:13:46Ariel understood that as we worked together on this and was dedicated to trying to deliver

00:13:52those services to people who were unserved.

00:13:57And finally, she's surrounded, as you've mentioned, Mr. Chairman, by a supportive and

00:14:00growing family.

00:14:01Frankly, when she worked for me, I wondered how could you have five kids and be at work

00:14:07every day, but she was and was dedicated to her work, dedicated to her family, dedicated

00:14:13to her faith.

00:14:16Faith and family are an important foundation for those to be entrusted with public trust,

00:14:22and she certainly exemplifies that.

00:14:24I know she'll serve with distinction as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and

00:14:30Information, and I couldn't be more proud of her today, nor could I be more pleased

00:14:34to be here with her today.

00:14:39Thank you, Senator Blunt.

00:14:40I will now recognize Ms. Roth for her opening statement, and she is welcome to say anything

00:14:45she likes, but the one thing that is mandatory is she is obliged to introduce her beautiful

00:14:49family.

00:14:50Will do.

00:14:52Chairman Cruz, Ranking Member Countwell, distinguished members of the Senate Committee

00:14:59on Commerce, Science and Transportation, I am deeply humbled to testify before you today

00:15:05and grateful to President Trump for nominating me to serve our great nation as Assistant

00:15:10Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information.

00:15:14It's a particular honor to testify before the Senate Commerce Committee.

00:15:18I have tremendous respect for this committee's accomplished members, hardworking staff, and

00:15:23record of bipartisan work.

00:15:26Over the past four years, I have been fortunate to work for two esteemed public servants on

00:15:31this committee.

00:15:33Chairman Cruz, working for you to advance economic growth, innovation, and the rule

00:15:37of law has been an extraordinary privilege.

00:15:41Senator Blunt, thank you for your mentorship in pragmatism, bipartisanship, and civic virtue.

00:15:47I have also had the honor of working for some of the most principled and respected

00:15:51experts in the telecom field, former FCC Commissioners Harold Furchgott-Roth and Mike O'Reilly,

00:15:58and former Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau, Chris Monteith.

00:16:03Of course, none of these opportunities would have been possible without the support of

00:16:06my family.

00:16:07My parents, Dr. Mark and Peggy Rabinovich, who are here today, instilled in me values

00:16:12of compassion, gratitude, perseverance, and community service.

00:16:19My husband and soulmate, Yakov, is the most incredible husband and father.

00:16:24Our children, Samson, Nina, Geffen, Rory, and Judah, are my life's greatest blessings,

00:16:36and I thank God every day for the privilege of being their mother.

00:16:40I have experienced firsthand the incredible opportunities America has to offer.

00:16:45This country has given me and countless others the freedom to pursue our dreams and build

00:16:50a better country for the next generation.

00:16:54As a person of deep Jewish faith, it is moving to me to offer my testimony on the eve of

00:16:59Passover, the holiday in which we celebrate the triumph of freedom over tyranny.

00:17:04Our rabbis teach us that true liberation comes not just from physical freedom but from spiritual

00:17:09freedom achieved through the pursuit of wisdom, education, and ethical action.

00:17:15It's in this spirit that I dedicate myself to the service of our country and ensuring

00:17:19opportunity is accessible to all Americans.

00:17:23For the past decade, I have been lucky to work on a special kind of access to opportunity,

00:17:29expanding access to high-speed Internet, and assist lawmakers dedicated to advancing innovation,

00:17:36promoting public safety, defending taxpayers, and protecting children online.

00:17:41It's been my privilege to work on bipartisan legislation like the AM Radio for Every Vehicle

00:17:46Act with Senator Markey, the SAT Streamlining Act with Senator Rosen, the Low Power Protection

00:17:52Act with Senators Wyden and Klobuchar, and the Kids Off Social Media Act with Senator

00:17:56Schatz.

00:17:58If confirmed, I will bring this experience and my understanding of the policy challenges

00:18:02we face today to the work of NTIA.

00:18:06One of the most pressing tasks ahead of us is ensuring that we finish the job of expanding

00:18:11broadband access to unserved communities.

00:18:14Thanks to Congress's historic bipartisan investments in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs

00:18:19Act, NTIA has a responsibility to ensure that these funds are spent efficiently, expeditiously,

00:18:26and consistent with the laws written by Congress.

00:18:29I look forward to working with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to ensure

00:18:33that the BEAD program is a success and lives up to its bipartisan legacy.

00:18:40I am also committed to harnessing the potential of our nation's spectrum resources while safeguarding

00:18:44national security.

00:18:46As the President's primary telecommunications and spectrum advisor, NTIA's leadership is

00:18:51pivotal in ensuring our nation's economic prosperity, technology leadership, and national

00:18:56security.

00:18:58NTIA also plays an important role in shaping U.S. positions before international standard-setting

00:19:04bodies, and it's essential that these decisions reflect U.S. interests.

00:19:08I look forward to working with NTIA's distinguished career staff, from whom I've learned so much

00:19:13over the past few years, to advance these policies.

00:19:16Finally, one of the most pressing communications issues facing our nation today is one that's

00:19:20close to home—how to protect children from online threats and excessive screen use.

00:19:26As a mother of five, God willing soon to be six, I know firsthand what a struggle it

00:19:30can be to monitor and limit kids' internet and screen time.

00:19:35If confirmed as NTIA Administrator, I will look for ways to support the administration

00:19:39on addressing these challenges for parents and children.

00:19:43I look forward to working with members of Congress, Commerce Secretary Lutnick, and

00:19:46other key stakeholders to advance these important policies, and I'm eager to contribute to the

00:19:52continued growth and success of our nation's communications networks.

00:19:56Thank you again for the opportunity to speak with you today.

00:19:59I am grateful for your consideration and look forward to answering your questions.

00:20:13Before you're excused, Senator Blunt, I will say the Ranking Member asked if you also wore

00:20:17a pink tie to be in complete harmony.

00:20:20Well, thank you.

00:20:32All right, we'll start with questioning.

00:20:34As I noted in my opening statement, your extensive policy experience is impressive and makes

00:20:40you eminently qualified to lead NTIA.

00:20:43I appreciate your many years of public service, including your very hard work as a part of

00:20:49my team here on this committee.

00:20:50Why don't we start with this.

00:20:54Why do you want to be the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information?

00:21:00Thank you, Senator.

00:21:02Expanding access to communications and technology is extremely meaningful work.

00:21:08It's lifted people out of poverty.

00:21:10It's fostered innovation.

00:21:12It's expanded opportunities for speech and information.

00:21:17And NTIA has an incredible opportunity to deliver on these goals through broadband,

00:21:25through spectrum, as well as through advising the President on Internet policy.

00:21:31I am driven to ensure that NTIA succeeds in these missions.

00:21:38As you noted, the NTIA is the lead agency for managing federal spectrum, including critical

00:21:43mid-band spectrum.

00:21:45Over the past several years, Majority Leader Thune, Senator Blackburn, and I have collaborated

00:21:49on a bill that would require NTIA to identify a clear pipeline of mid-band spectrum that

00:21:55can be used more efficiently and, following feasibility studies and established processes,

00:22:01allow for commercial use.

00:22:03To lead the world in 5G and 6G, to bolster our economy, and to ensure that it is America

00:22:09and not China that sets the technology standards of the future, we must expand commercial access

00:22:16to mid-band spectrum.

00:22:19Will you commit to working closely with me and with this committee to expand commercial

00:22:24sector access to spectrum while at the same time protecting U.S. national security interests?

00:22:30Absolutely, Senator.

00:22:33National security needs to be paramount in any discussion over expanding access to spectrum.

00:22:39I'm optimistic that by working together, we have the brightest minds in the country.

00:22:44We can find a path forward to advance our international technology leadership while

00:22:50protecting national security.

00:22:53As you know, President Trump has called for the United States to have its own Iron Dome

00:22:57missile defense system.

00:22:59The Defense Department says they need every ounce of spectrum that they currently occupy,

00:23:03and they cannot coexist with commercial users in their vast spectrum holdings, particularly

00:23:08if they need to build an Iron Dome system.

00:23:12What is your judgment?

00:23:13Can DOD build an Iron Dome and coexist with commercial spectrum users?

00:23:19Thank you, Senator.

00:23:21First, at the outset, I thank God for the Iron Dome system.

00:23:25I have family in Israel, and it's saved their lives.

00:23:29So I would never do anything to jeopardize our ability to develop such a system here

00:23:33at home.

00:23:36And I am optimistic that by working together, we have some of the brightest minds in this

00:23:41country working on spectrum, working on feasibility studies, that we can find a way forward and

00:23:47have such a system at home without endangering national security.

00:23:53As you know, NTIA administers the BEAD program, a $42 billion broadband deployment program

00:23:58authorized by Congress under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

00:24:03During the last administration, NTIA saddled BEAD with a variety of extraneous and burdensome

00:24:08requirements.

00:24:09As a result, after nearly four years, not a single American household has been connected

00:24:14to the Internet.

00:24:16In a departing screed to his colleagues, Biden's head of BEAD claimed that climate, labor,

00:24:25and other requirements, quote, were inserted by the prior administration for messaging

00:24:30political purposes and were never central to the mission of the program.

00:24:34I agree.

00:24:35They were never central to the mission.

00:24:38But it appears that the Biden mission was to avoid connecting even a single American

00:24:42household, to which I say, mission accomplished.

00:24:48That's over now.

00:24:50Will you commit to working closely with this committee to remove these extraneous requirements

00:24:55and refocus the BEAD program on its actual purpose, which is connecting Americans to

00:25:01broadband in a cost-effective and timely manner?

00:25:05Yes, Senator.

00:25:08At the outset, I want the BEAD program to be a success.

00:25:10I want to connect every remaining American who currently lacks access to high-speed Internet

00:25:17as expeditiously, efficiently, and effectively as possible.

00:25:21I believe that we can deliver on this goal, and I'm committed to it.

00:25:27Now, some in the media, and some perhaps even in this room, want to convince the American

00:25:34people that fixing BEAD is part of some dark and sinister plot to benefit Elon Musk by

00:25:41opening up the program to Starlink.

00:25:45And I would put the former head of BEAD in that camp as well.

00:25:51Yet right-sizing BEAD may involve removing the thumb on the scale that the Biden administration

00:25:58placed in favor of fiber.

00:26:02And doing so is simply following the law as Congress wrote it.

00:26:07BEAD was written to be tech-neutral.

00:26:10America is a big country.

00:26:11While fiber might make sense in some areas, hybrid fiber, fixed wireless, and yes, even

00:26:18satellite-based Internet might be a smarter choice in other areas.

00:26:23That's not grift.

00:26:24It's good government.

00:26:25It's basic common sense.

00:26:28Americans have waited long enough to get connected.

00:26:31It's time to do it, and we must use every tool in the kit to get broadband deployed

00:26:35as quickly and efficiently as possible.

00:26:38Will you commit to overseeing the BEAD program with an eye towards deploying broadband without

00:26:43favor to any particular technology, individual, or company?

00:26:49Absolutely, Senator.

00:26:52If I'm confirmed, my mission will be to deliver broadband to the American people, not to serve

00:27:01any individual or company.

00:27:05Ranking Member Cantwell.

00:27:07Okay.

00:27:08Senator Klobuchar.

00:27:10Thank you very much.

00:27:11Welcome, Ms. Roth.

00:27:12I enjoyed our discussion in the car as I was driving around Minnesota last week, and I've

00:27:16especially enjoyed your very well-behaved kids.

00:27:19I note that your son asserting his independence with reading the book the entire time was

00:27:26some memory of my own daughter at that age, except she would sit in the front row, I'd

00:27:30be giving a speech, and she would read the book like this.

00:27:35You have accomplished much that that is not happening.

00:27:39I did enjoy working with you.

00:27:41I know I worked with our staff on not just the Low Power Protection Act, but also Brand

00:27:47USA with Senator Blunt, the Sturdy Act, as well as all the work that we did on travel

00:27:53and tourism.

00:27:54Thank you for that.

00:27:56I wanted to follow up on some of the questions on the broadband bill.

00:28:01I never really liked that bead name, but I just call it the broadband bill.

00:28:06I know that my state and many others have invested a lot of energy and capital in complying

00:28:13with the current rules, as they should do, and that we do not want to start from scratch.

00:28:18We don't want to delay this anymore.

00:28:21We just are worried that anything that would make it more disruptive would be problematic.

00:28:27If confirmed, how will you ensure that states, including Minnesota, can proceed with their

00:28:32broadband plans as expeditiously as possible?

00:28:37Thank you, Senator.

00:28:38I realize there was one other bill we worked on together.

00:28:41Virginia Grand Baker.

00:28:42Oh, that was a big deal on the swimming pools.

00:28:44It actually saved a lot of lives, yes.

00:28:47That was a big deal.

00:28:50Thank you, Senator.

00:28:52If I'm honored to be confirmed, my primary objective would be to get broadband billed

00:28:58out to every last American as expeditiously as possible.

00:29:03I think that it's been more than three years since the IIJ was passed.

00:29:11I think there's frustration that we haven't made significant progress in getting shovels

00:29:18in the ground.

00:29:19We don't have a single location connected yet.

00:29:21I want to solve that, and I want to get broadband to everyone in America and every single one

00:29:25of your constituents.

00:29:26Okay.

00:29:27Very good.

00:29:28I understand the desire to strip out any needless requirements from the programs, but we must

00:29:35not, in the words of one of the people in the last administration dealing with this,

00:29:40strip away from states the flexibility to get the best connections for their people.

00:29:45If confirmed, would you implement a spending cap on the program, and if so, at what threshold

00:29:51would you set it?

00:29:53Thank you, Senator.

00:29:57I agree that we should be stripping out red tape and bureaucracy of the program to get

00:30:02the program on track and expedited.

00:30:05In terms of a spending cap, I would want to speak with NTIA's distinguished career staff

00:30:14to know what, if any, authority NTIA has.

00:30:18I don't have any.

00:30:21I would want to confer with NTIA's distinguished career staff.

00:30:26Okay.

00:30:28Universal Service Fund.

00:30:29We talked about this on the phone.

00:30:30I care a lot about this.

00:30:31Senator Thune and I have done some work on this together.

00:30:34Supreme Court just had their arguments on this.

00:30:37I won't ask you to predict what happened, but it appears there was some concern about

00:30:41throwing out the fund.

00:30:43As we discussed, we have to continue to ensure that we maximize federal resources dedicated

00:30:49to expanding broadband access.

00:30:52I've been working across the aisle to strengthen funding mechanisms for USF, which allows for

00:30:57providers to connect the most hard-to-reach areas to high-speed Internet.

00:31:03If confirmed, would you work with me and others on the committee to expand the funding base

00:31:07for Universal Service?

00:31:09Thank you, Senator.

00:31:11NTIA doesn't administer the USF.

00:31:13That's the domain of the FCC.

00:31:14Of course, there's a lot of overlap between broadband programs.

00:31:18I look forward to working with the FCC on the goal of delivering broadband to all Americans

00:31:24and coordinating our efforts.

00:31:26I would be happy to work with you on any efforts in that domain.

00:31:32Okay.

00:31:33Last, I know there's been a chairman ask you about the spectrum funds.

00:31:38I chair the 9-1-1 caucus, am co-chair of it, and I've led legislation with Senator

00:31:46Cortez Masto to modernize America's 9-1-1 system for obvious reasons.

00:31:51People are no longer just dialing in from landlines, and they want to send photos of

00:31:56– people want to get – firefighters get pictures of burning buildings on their phones

00:32:01so they can be safer in the specs and which part they enter in a building.

00:32:07Do you believe Congress should leverage spectrum auctions to help modernize our 9-1-1 infrastructure?

00:32:14Thank you, Senator.

00:32:15As a parent who's had to dial 9-1-1 before, and God forbid everything was okay and I only

00:32:20had to do it once, I know how important it is to have a properly working 9-1-1 infrastructure.

00:32:25I know there's challenges in rural areas.

00:32:27I'd be happy to work with you.

00:32:29Ultimately, Congress decides where spectrum auction proceeds go.

00:32:33Okay.

00:32:37Thank you, Senator Cantwell.

00:32:40Senator Baldwin.

00:32:45Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member.

00:32:49Ms. Roth, it was lovely to meet with you and talk about your vision for NTIA.

00:32:56I want to start by talking about the BEAD program also.

00:33:04It was established in the bipartisan infrastructure law and NTIA in all 50 states have been working

00:33:11to implement BEAD to bridge the digital divide in the United States.

00:33:15I was proud to help work to make sure that Wisconsin received an adequate sum.

00:33:24We received an award of just slightly north of $1.1 billion in BEAD funding to expand

00:33:34access to high-quality, high-speed internet.

00:33:37Just last month, Wisconsin ended the application period for the first round of BEAD funding

00:33:43and we are very excited to keep on moving ahead.

00:33:48At the beginning of this month, Commerce Secretary Lutnick announced a rigorous review, as he

00:33:54said, of the BEAD program.

00:33:56I'm concerned that this rigorous review could slow down our progress to deliver broadband

00:34:03access.

00:34:04So as Administrator, will you commit to ensuring that states are able to continue to move forward

00:34:11with approved BEAD plans without interference from this new administration?

00:34:18Thank you, Senator, and thank you for meeting with me.

00:34:21If confirmed, my goal with the BEAD program would be to get broadband to every last unserved

00:34:27American as expeditiously as possible.

00:34:30I would hope that any review of the BEAD program would be done quickly with an eye to expediting

00:34:37deployment.

00:34:38It's not just about expediting paperwork, expediting funding, but ultimately expediting

00:34:43deployment.

00:34:44And if there are ways that we can expedite the shovels in the ground side of the program,

00:34:48I would want to find such ways.

00:34:53Our chairman asked you a little bit about administering BEAD without favor to any particular

00:35:00technology or company.

00:35:02And I'd like to inquire a little bit more deeply, because the Secretary has talked about

00:35:09this rigorous review of BEAD, and there is some indication that there may be suggestions

00:35:18to give more favor to satellite technology in terms of connecting people with high-speed

00:35:27Internet.

00:35:28So how are you going to ensure that you are administering this, again, without favor to

00:35:35a particular technology or company, particularly one that is overseen by somebody who has a

00:35:44very outsized role in this administration, Elon Musk, especially if the Secretary is

00:35:50pushing you in that regard?

00:35:53Thank you, Senator.

00:35:54If confirmed, as I said to Chairman Cruz, if I'm fortunate to be confirmed, I will administer

00:36:01the program to the benefit of the American people, not any single individual or company.

00:36:07I believe that Congress wrote the BEAD program legislation in a tech-neutral manner.

00:36:14And tech-neutral goes both ways, just like we wouldn't want to have only one technology

00:36:23like fiber as the only solution, nor would a separate technology be the only one that

00:36:32would be funded by the program.

00:36:36When we met, we talked about Buy America requirements that are in the BEAD and in the

00:36:44entire infrastructure, bipartisan infrastructure law.

00:36:48And I got a chance to tell you a little bit about some of the jobs that have been created

00:36:51in Wisconsin because of the last administration's action being proactive to use our Buy America,

00:36:59Build America rules to bring jobs to the United States.

00:37:04Can you commit to enforcing the Buy America rules and requirements at NTIA?

00:37:13Thank you, Senator.

00:37:15Advancing American manufacturing is very important.

00:37:20And if confirmed, I would want to find a way forward to deliver on the goal of advancing

00:37:27American manufacturing and an America First policy that this administration has supported

00:37:34with the goal of building up broadband as expeditiously as possible.

00:37:37And I would look forward to working with your office on this issue.

00:37:40And when there were, when waivers exist or are sought, what approach would you take in

00:37:46reviewing waivers of the Buy America requirements?

00:37:51Thank you, Senator.

00:37:54I will always abide by the law.

00:37:56I would want to, as I haven't been confirmed, I'd like to have the chance to discuss that

00:38:04with the agency's esteemed experts.

00:38:08But I absolutely look forward to working with your office to ensure that that process abides

00:38:13by the goals of both Buy America as well as the BEAD program.

00:38:17Mr. Chairman, I've run out of time.

00:38:24Senator Kim.

00:38:26Thank you, Chairman.

00:38:27Apparently, I skipped Senator Moreno.

00:38:30I didn't, I looked down and it was empty and you snuck in stealthily.

00:38:35I should warn you, the United Kingdom apparently has a problem with ninjas.

00:38:42And we may have a ninja on this committee.

00:38:44So Senator Moreno and then Senator Kim.

00:38:46You know, it's just for the record, proof that Cubans and Colombians have long history

00:38:51of animosity.

00:38:52But I don't blame them.

00:38:56They had a little confidence.

00:38:58So it's good.

00:38:59We have better coffee.

00:39:00They get very, very upset by that.

00:39:02But first of all, congratulations.

00:39:04And I think that to the staff who's sitting around the table, it does enormous amounts

00:39:09of work.

00:39:10And you put on all the hard hours and you wonder, you know, what am I doing?

00:39:15I think you're an inspiration to all of them, despite your choice of what Senate office

00:39:20you work for.

00:39:23To being in that position, it's got to be really cool for you to do this.

00:39:26So again, also thank you for being willing to serve your country the way you're doing

00:39:30it.

00:39:31Just some quick questions.

00:39:33How is NTIA, in your mind, ensuring that its broadband investments aren't duplicating funding

00:39:41from dozens of other federal programs?

00:39:44Thank you, Senator.

00:39:45This is an issue I've thought about and worked on my career in telecom.

00:39:51I think GAO reported that there's 130 different broadband programs across the federal government.

00:39:56Coordination is really important.

00:39:58It would be one of my goals if I'm fortunate to be confirmed as administrator.

00:40:03I would also welcome the opportunity to work with your office on this issue.

00:40:07That would be great.

00:40:08And at the last World Radio Conference, many criticized the U.S. delegation for disorganization.

00:40:15Many say this allowed China to pursue their aims at the conference unfeathered.

00:40:21As NTIA provides expertise at a delegation, what will you do to support the World Radio

00:40:26Conference efforts?

00:40:28Thank you, Senator.

00:40:29It's a really important issue with the World Radio Communication Conference coming up in

00:40:362027.

00:40:37It's two years away, but we need to develop unified positions expeditiously.

00:40:41NTIA has a role to play in that.

00:40:44And the reason that's important is because if we don't develop those unified positions,

00:40:49and we don't have a seat at the table, our adversaries will lead the discussion in favor

00:40:53of their equipment makers and manufacturers, potentially to the detriment of American equipment

00:41:01makers and manufacturers and those that serve America.

00:41:05Makes sense.

00:41:06And with technologies like Starlink rapidly expanding, we're seeing that service all throughout

00:41:11rural Ohio, dramatically less expensive to put up a $200 receiver than a $2 million fiber

00:41:17cable up a mountain.

00:41:19Do you see that expanding service to remote areas at lower costs and faster development

00:41:23times?

00:41:24How is NTIA incorporating nontraditional, low-earth satellite-based solutions into its

00:41:30long-term broadband strategy, like I said, especially in these hard-to-reach areas?

00:41:36Thank you, Senator.

00:41:38Technology has come a very long way in delivering broadband.

00:41:42I think Congress wanted a technology-neutral approach to the BEAD program.

00:41:49It served our country well.

00:41:51It also recognizes that we're a diverse country, diverse geographically, and not every solution

00:41:57is going to work in every state or every area.

00:42:01And I look forward to, if confirmed, ensuring that states have the resources that they need

00:42:09to deliver broadband in a manner that serves their constituents.

00:42:12Yeah, it would be great to get you to Ohio, because we need a lot of parts of rural Ohio

00:42:19connected.

00:42:20We'd love to get you out there and visit once you're confirmed.

00:42:24Last question would be, how does NTIA plan to increase engagement with private industry,

00:42:29including competitive carriers and nontraditional broadband providers, to meet deployment goals

00:42:34more efficiently?

00:42:37Senator, I look forward to delivering on the goal of expediting broadband deployment through

00:42:47the BEAD program, getting every last American connected, and that includes an all-of-the-above

00:42:56solution.

00:42:57I look forward to working with your office to achieve that goal.

00:43:00Well, perfect.

00:43:01Well, again, thank you for your willingness to serve.

00:43:04You're supremely qualified for the job, and I urge all of my colleagues on both sides

00:43:08of the aisle to confirm you quickly so we can get you in there to get to work.

00:43:15Thank you, Senator Moreno.

00:43:16Now, Senator Kim.

00:43:17Thank you, Chair.

00:43:18Thank you, Ms. Roth, for coming before us.

00:43:20I actually just wanted to build off of something that the Chairman said in his opening remarks.

00:43:24He talked about making sure that America, not China, is setting the tech standards around

00:43:29the world, especially on the telecom space.

00:43:32I guess I just want to start with a big-picture question.

00:43:35How would you characterize U.S. competitiveness right now in the telecom space vis-a-vis China?

00:43:41Just want to get your understanding of where that stands right now.

00:43:46Thank you, Senator.

00:43:48I think we're in a global technology race against China.

00:43:52We need to ensure that we don't fall behind, because if we do, that'll lead to more situations

00:44:01to address, like rip and replace, salt typhoon.

00:44:06We desperately need to ensure that we win the global technology race, and part of that

00:44:14is ensuring that we have the best and fastest broadband networks in the world from which

00:44:19we can build innovation and remain the global technology leaders.

00:44:25One of the biggest challenges that we faced and saw in recent years was just China's aggressiveness

00:44:30when it came to 5G, in terms of the deployment of Huawei around the world.

00:44:35What do you think are the lessons that we should have been taking away from that, and

00:44:38how would you in this job try to make sure that we're pushing forward and thinking about

00:44:43how to strengthen American innovation at a time of such competitiveness?

00:44:50Thank you, Senator.

00:44:51I think there's a lot of ways we can do that, ensuring that our spectrum policy is as efficient

00:44:58as possible so that we can have the best wireless innovation in the world, and it's

00:45:04also ensuring that all Americans have access to digital opportunity, and delivering on

00:45:14the requirements of the BEAD program is one way to do that.

00:45:18One of the things that we were able to move forward on is this $1.5 billion public wireless

00:45:25supply chain innovation fund that is at NTIA.

00:45:30I just wanted to ask, I'm not sure if you've really thought this through in terms of what

00:45:34your vision would be in terms of that particular fund.

00:45:37It's something that I've been very interested in terms of how we can use this to potentially

00:45:41scale up trusted telecommunications supplies, not just in the United States but abroad.

00:45:47Just wanted to see if you've given that some thought so far.

00:45:51Thank you, Senator.

00:45:52Supply chain security is very important in winning the global technology race, and I'm

00:46:00very familiar with that program and the goals of that program in combating Huawei and ensuring

00:46:08that our networks are safe.

00:46:14I look forward to abiding by the law.

00:46:17That program was signed into law, and if I'm confirmed, I look forward to working on

00:46:24it with you in your office.

00:46:26One thing to keep an eye out, if you're confirmed here, is there's been talk about what is the

00:46:31future of the Chips in Science Act, and this particular fund was one that came through

00:46:35that legislation.

00:46:37I do have concerns in terms of about what the future is of that type of innovative spur

00:46:43that we were trying to unleash.

00:46:46That's something I just wanted to flag for you, and just in general, just thinking about

00:46:50how we can increase our competitiveness, our innovation, but also better protecting ourselves

00:46:56to try to prevent foreign adversaries from being able to exploit our U.S. telecommunications

00:47:00networks as well as the supply chains, as you mentioned.

00:47:04That's something that I'm hoping we're able to work together on.

00:47:07Last thing I just wanted to flag, just switching gears, I'm a father of a seven-year-old and

00:47:12a nine-year-old.

00:47:13I see your beautiful family here as well.

00:47:15The chairman mentioned in his opening remarks that you've been instrumental in thinking

00:47:18about protecting privacy for kids with the work on this committee.

00:47:24I guess I wanted to just ask for your thoughts here.

00:47:27Can you speak to how you'll try to advance that sense of privacy for our children with

00:47:31the work you do as assistant secretary?

00:47:33Thank you, Senator.

00:47:35I agree.

00:47:36Privacy is incredibly important.

00:47:38NTIA doesn't have a regulatory role on privacy.

00:47:41NTIA is an advisor to the president on all issues on the internet.

00:47:46What do you think the president should focus in on when it comes to privacy for kids?

00:47:50Senator, I'm not at the agency yet.

00:47:53I'd like to have a chance to figure out what the agency is working on, speak to the distinguished

00:47:59career staff.

00:48:01It's certainly an issue that I would want to work on and I would look forward to working

00:48:05with your office.

00:48:06Yeah, look, as I said, if confirmed, I hope this is something that we can really lift

00:48:10up.

00:48:11I think a lot of parents are just beside themselves right now and just would like to see some

00:48:16strong action.

00:48:17I think having a young mom taking the charge on this, I think that would be a really strong

00:48:24signal to this country.

00:48:25Thanks a lot.

00:48:26With that, I yield back.

00:48:30Senator Blunt-Rochester.

00:48:31Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thanking Ranking Member Cantwell.

00:48:36Welcome, Ms. Roth, to you and your family, and congratulations on your upcoming new family

00:48:42member.

00:48:43I thought I was going to be the last one to speak so that we didn't have any breaking

00:48:48news here today, but more are coming in.

00:48:52I just wanted to kind of pick up where a lot of my colleagues left off on the BEAD program

00:48:58and just how you can tell from the fact that across the aisle, everyone is very much interested

00:49:06in making sure that our country is connected.

00:49:10And Delaware, we set a goal to become the first state in the nation to be fully connected

00:49:15to high-speed Internet with the funding from the BEAD program.

00:49:19And we will be able to accomplish that goal with this program.

00:49:25And I hope I can count on you.

00:49:26I've heard you say and committed to others as well that you will expeditiously turn this

00:49:33goal into a reality and commit to the funding being received as quickly as possible, particularly

00:49:43because Delaware, Louisiana, and Nevada are three states that actually have gone through

00:49:48all the steps.

00:49:49We are right there, completed the whole process.

00:49:54And NTIA actually approved our plan to connect many of the underserved households and businesses

00:50:01in our state.

00:50:02And that was approved at the beginning of this year.

00:50:05So just wanted to, again, encourage you as one of your first opportunities to make sure

00:50:11particularly those plans that have been approved that you will take a look at them.

00:50:15Can I get that commitment?

00:50:17Absolutely.

00:50:19I want my priority, if confirmed, as NTIA administrator would be to get broadband to

00:50:25every single American as expeditiously as possible.

00:50:30And many of the states, we've submitted these plans, but we are different.

00:50:35We are diverse.

00:50:36We crafted those plans based on experts in our states and local municipalities.

00:50:42And we hope that you'll be considering the uniqueness of those, like whether or not some

00:50:47of the characteristics might just be our terrain.

00:50:50Whether it's skyscrapers or mountains, whether it's forests or farms, we're different.

00:50:55And so will you commit to allowing states with approved plans to choose the broadband

00:51:00delivery technology that works best for their individual situations?

00:51:05Thank you, Senator.

00:51:06I certainly recognize that we have a diverse country with diverse geography and all of

00:51:11the above solution doesn't, a one-size-fits-all solution doesn't necessarily make sense.

00:51:19That's why we need all of these above solutions to delivering broadband.

00:51:23And I look forward to working with your office on that.

00:51:25Thank you so much.

00:51:26I want to turn to the Digital Equity Act, which, as you know, was part of the Infrastructure

00:51:32Investment and Jobs Act.

00:51:34More and more we're seeing technology be prevalent in our lives.

00:51:40I mean, literally you go, whether it's the doctors, whether it's the school classroom,

00:51:47it's really important that we have digital literacy and that we bridge the digital divide.

00:51:53Our HBCU, Delaware State University, was one of the folks that received, one of the organizations

00:52:01that received funding for high-speed internet access for training and workforce development

00:52:06related to digital literacy.

00:52:09But we also have our Department of Labor that would provide IT training as well.

00:52:16They are still waiting on their funding.

00:52:19Will you commit to supporting this program as enacted?

00:52:23Senator, in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Congress committed to ensuring

00:52:31that the broadband internet is affordable for all Americans and that Americans have

00:52:37the resources and skills they need to connect.

00:52:39I will abide by the law.

00:52:41Great.

00:52:43A definition that was in that act of the covered populations, for some has included controversy,

00:52:52but I just want to clarify that in the law, it's low-income, seniors, veterans, people

00:53:00with disabilities, and people in rural America.

00:53:06And I think that's really important because all of us are affected by this.

00:53:10Our ability to shop, our ability to even read and go to school, as I said, is really important.

00:53:15So I am glad that you are committed to this.

00:53:19And then lastly, I'd love to shift to cybersecurity.

00:53:24In the nine seconds I have, I'll ask a question for the record, but this too is also a priority

00:53:29for us.

00:53:30And I'm looking forward, should you be confirmed, to work with you on this issue as well, particularly

00:53:35around the workforce, because I think that's a huge issue for us.

00:53:38So thank you, and I yield back.

00:53:42Senator Markey.

00:53:43Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

00:53:44It's good to see you again, Ms. Roth.

00:53:46Along with the $42.5 billion that Congress provided for the broadband program known as

00:53:52BEAD, we also provided nearly $3 billion to help ensure all Americans have the skills

00:53:59and the knowledge to participate in the online world.

00:54:02Those funds are critical to ensure that all Americans can benefit from the digital revolution.

00:54:07In Massachusetts, for example, residents expressed difficulties finding jobs online and obtaining

00:54:12other important services.

00:54:14This funding will help close those gaps.

00:54:17Ms. Roth, if confirmed, will you commit to fulfilling NTIA's legal obligation to provide

00:54:22the money authorized and appropriated by Congress for this program?

00:54:26Senator, I will always abide by the law.

00:54:30And also, thank you so much for meeting with me in your office.

00:54:32It was such an honor to meet with someone who has had such an influence on my career

00:54:38with so many pieces of legislation that you authored in the telecom sector.

00:54:46And I'm glad I got to help to provide employment for you and so many others at the Federal

00:54:50Communications Commission over the years.

00:54:54And thank you for that.

00:54:55I'm glad to hear that.

00:54:57Many of my colleagues have raised the Trump administration's ongoing review of the BEID

00:55:01program and the impact of any potential changes of the program.

00:55:06Massachusetts has been allocated $147 million in BEID funding and began accepting applications

00:55:12from providers in January.

00:55:15Just yesterday, Arkansas announced results from their second round of their application

00:55:20process.

00:55:21Other states are in a similar position.

00:55:23Given the Commerce Department's review, should states just stop accepting applications and

00:55:29indefinitely pause their program and just save the money?

00:55:36Thank you, Senator.

00:55:37As I haven't been confirmed yet, I haven't had a chance to confer with NTIA's career

00:55:43staff and I haven't been involved in the review process.

00:55:48I would hope that any review conducted by NTIA is expeditious with the goal of expediting

00:55:56build-outs.

00:55:57Yeah, well, will you commit to a quick timeline for when the review will be complete?

00:56:05As I haven't been confirmed, I'm not in a position to commit to a specific timeline,

00:56:10but I will commit that my goal would be a very expeditious timeline.

00:56:14That's great.

00:56:15I'm very worried that changes to the program will cause serious delays in deploying broadband

00:56:22right as states are ready to get shovels in the ground.

00:56:26So now I'd like to talk about a specific change that the Trump administration appears to be

00:56:31pushing for BEID, turning the program into a subsidy for Elon Musk's Starlink.

00:56:38Under the guise of making the program, quote, technology neutral, the Trump administration

00:56:43may eliminate the program's preference for fiber and make satellite providers like Starlink

00:56:50eligible for BEID funding in all circumstances.

00:56:55Ms. Roth, do you support that change?

00:56:58Senator, as I've said before, I would administer the law consistent with the statute and to

00:57:09the benefit of the American people, not for any specific individual or company.

00:57:14I do believe that Congress wrote the law in a technology neutral manner, and that means

00:57:19in all of the above solution that recognizes different realities across different parts

00:57:24of the country.

00:57:25Let's be clear.

00:57:26Let's be clear.

00:57:27The BEID program never excluded satellite broadband, but it did limit it.

00:57:32It did limit it to areas where fiber was excessively expensive.

00:57:38That is in the law.

00:57:39And that's because while satellite broadband may be cheaper to deploy in some locations

00:57:45in the short term, it costs far more to service and maintain in the long run.

00:57:51So Ms. Roth, do you agree that fiber is a cheaper technology in the long run?

00:57:57Senator, I would want to confer with NTIA's career staff before assessing a specific product

00:58:09or technology.

00:58:12And I look forward to working with you to ensure that Massachusetts gets what it needs.

00:58:19It's not just Massachusetts.

00:58:20It's the whole country.

00:58:21Absolutely.

00:58:22The satellite versus fiber question is very central.

00:58:26And according to a Bloomberg article yesterday, for example, one state official found that

00:58:32fiber would save households $15,600 over a 30-year period.

00:58:38And I ask that article be included in the record, Mr. Chairman.

00:58:42Without objection.

00:58:43So, Ms. Roth, I strongly urge you to oppose this giveaway to Elon Musk and ensure that

00:58:49the BEED program delivers for all Americans and that we not adopt a more costly approach

00:58:56because that surely will drain the funding that could have been used more efficiently.

00:59:01So I thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.

00:59:05I thank the senator from Massachusetts, and I would note that in four years, the Biden

00:59:09administration managed to connect zero households with the $42 billion that Congress gave them.

00:59:16And one of the reasons was the Biden administration, I think, engaged in petulant and partisan

00:59:22politics by blacklisting Elon Musk and Starlink, which is technology that could have connected

00:59:28particularly households in distant rural places.

00:59:32And I think it was purely partisan.

00:59:35And I would note we saw this underscored just last week when two American astronauts finally

00:59:41came back from the International Space Station when SpaceX flew them back and Elon offered

00:59:47months ago to fly them back.

00:59:50And because the Biden administration suffered from Elon derangement syndrome, they stranded

00:59:55our astronauts in space for many months rather than accept the only ride back that could

01:00:01bring them from the station.

01:00:03If the senator would yield?

01:00:04Sure.

01:00:05I thank you.

01:00:06To the extent to which the Biden administration did authorize last July to contract with SpaceX

01:00:14in order to complete that mission, I think we should note that it began in the Biden

01:00:20administration and to the extent to which, if we do move forward now with deployment

01:00:26of the BEAD program, all I'm asking is if that be the case, that we just do it in the

01:00:31most efficient way.

01:00:34That's something that Elon would want.

01:00:36On that, we are agreed.

01:00:37And if it's clear that it's fiber and not styling, did that be the approach which is

01:00:43taken by the administration?

01:00:45Because if we do it that way, we'll save more money for the consumers over time.

01:00:51Looking forward.

01:00:52Let's look forward.

01:00:53Let's look to the future and our opportunities.

01:00:57You know I'm a pushover when you do your JFK impression.

01:01:02Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

01:01:03Senator Hickenlooper.

01:01:04Thank you, Mr. Chair.

01:01:05Thank you, Ms. Roth.

01:01:06I appreciate the time you spent carved out for us in the office.

01:01:10Let's start with the Spectrum Relocation Fund, the SRF, provides funding to the federal

01:01:17government to research the feasibility of modifying and, if necessary, upgrading federal

01:01:22systems that use Spectrum.

01:01:24But it's limited to only reimbursing a federal agency for necessary costs to update a system

01:01:30of quote-unquote comparable capability.

01:01:33Many federal agencies have stated that SRF limits their ability to upgrade their systems

01:01:39that use Spectrum and continue fulfilling their missions.

01:01:44So Ms. Roth, do you believe that SRF could be reformed to better incentivize agencies

01:01:49to share or reallocate Spectrum?

01:01:51So why or why not?

01:01:53Thank you, Senator.

01:01:54And thank you for meeting with me in your office.

01:01:57I think we should be trying to find efficiencies where possible, consistent with national security,

01:02:03and I'm aware of debates over SRF and how to make it more effective.

01:02:09I would be an honor to work with your office on this issue.

01:02:12Great.

01:02:13Well, I think that's something we're eager to do, and I appreciate your openness to that.

01:02:18My chance to talk about BEAD, as we all do, and we talked about a little bit in the office.

01:02:23Obviously, many projects, but broadband especially, saw significant investments from the bipartisan

01:02:28infrastructure law.

01:02:31And I think we believe that improvements can be made that maintain the community input,

01:02:36but improve the permitting process, again, like we've heard from various of us moving

01:02:42things along.

01:02:43What's your view on how NTIA can help states address permitting issues that may come up

01:02:49as BEAD projects begin construction?

01:02:51As you're aware, Colorado's kind of a model child in that sense that we have satellite,

01:02:57we have fiber, and then we have normal cell towers.

01:03:04Thank you, Senator.

01:03:05As I said, expediting the program and specifically expediting build-out would be my priority

01:03:13if confirmed, and permitting is certainly one thing that I would want to look at as

01:03:19a potential solution to expediting the build-out side.

01:03:23It can also make the deployment of broadband less costly, and that's what we want, is to

01:03:31get the best bang for the taxpayer's buck so that our dollars are stretched as far as

01:03:38possible so that we can deliver broadband to all Americans in an expeditious and efficient

01:03:44manner.

01:03:45I think that's exactly the right approach, and there is certainly a backlog, and it's

01:03:50a little bit like watching the mongoose going through the python.

01:03:54It's kind of blocked up for a while, but now hopefully it'll start going very, very quickly

01:03:58and get that money spent wisely.

01:04:01Again, back to spectrum and a little bit about interagency coordination, many would argue

01:04:08that there's always room for improvement when federal agencies are trying to work together.

01:04:16It's not a natural condition of the species.

01:04:21In recent years, the FCC and the NTIA updated a memorandum of understanding that goes all

01:04:27the way back.

01:04:28It was first signed in 2003, goes all the way back, relative to planning and coordination

01:04:33of spectrum.

01:04:36What are your plans, or how do you see us doing the best job to maintain close communications

01:04:42with the FCC to ensure that these spectrum decisions are evidence-based and will hold

01:04:47up over the long term?

01:04:51Thank you, Senator.

01:04:53NTIA has historically maintained a close relationship with the FCC.

01:04:58That's something I would certainly want to continue if I'm fortunate to be confirmed

01:05:04as NTIA administrator, and part of that would be certainly reviewing the memorandum of understanding

01:05:12if there's improvements to be made in NTIA and FCC's coordination.

01:05:17It's something I would be honored to work on.

01:05:20Great.

01:05:21Then one last question, which you won't be able to answer completely, but I think relative

01:05:25to your position, assuming that you are confirmed to the NTIA, there's a rising tide of issues

01:05:32around AI and AI development, the data center growth, how that affects energy demand.

01:05:41How would you position NTIA to help facilitate resolution of those challenges?

01:05:48Thank you, Senator.

01:05:49AI is very important, and America's leadership in AI is very important to ensure that we

01:05:55remain the global leader in AI and don't cede that leadership to our adversaries.

01:06:02I think one way to advance that is through expanding spectrum access and finding efficiencies,

01:06:09because AI is going to place increased demand on our networks, and so any efficiencies that

01:06:16we can find are consistent with national security will, in the long run, protect our country

01:06:23and our global technology leadership.

01:06:25Great.

01:06:26Thank you so much, and I appreciate how concise your answers are.

01:06:28If you can run the agency that concisely, there'll be good things ahead.

01:06:33I yield back to the chair.

01:06:39Senator Peters.

01:06:40Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

01:06:41This is Roth.

01:06:42Good to see you, and congratulations on your nomination to serve as the assistant secretary,

01:06:48and it's nice to see that your family is here as well.

01:06:51Not easy to corral all of that, but you're able to do it, so congratulations.

01:06:57I believe that one of our biggest achievements over the past few years was, indeed, the passage

01:07:02of broadband equity access and employment program, the BEAT Act, which has been coming

01:07:06up quite a bit during this hearing.

01:07:10Coming from Michigan, this is certainly a critical program.

01:07:13It's been a massive undertaking.

01:07:14Michigan has embraced it and believe that it'll connect everyone with the fastest, most

01:07:20reliable internet possible.

01:07:22Right now, Michigan is nearing the end of its procurement process to identify providers

01:07:26who will bring broadband to over 368,000 underserved locations across my state, and I believe we

01:07:34can't move backward with the program.

01:07:36To that end, I've got a couple of questions for you, and you can just talk about concise.

01:07:41You could answer it yes or no, so you could be very concise with it.

01:07:44First question is, if confirmed, will you oppose changes to the BEAT program that would

01:07:49require states to restart subgrantee process that is currently underway, something that

01:07:55I would believe would lead to over a year of delays?

01:08:00Would you oppose those, yes or no?

01:08:02Senator, as I haven't been confirmed, I'm not in a position to make a specific commitment.

01:08:07I will commit to you that I would work to expedite the program as much as possible so

01:08:11that Michiganders gain access to broadband as quickly as possible.

01:08:16Okay.

01:08:17Well, we'd want to work with you if confirmed to make sure that that indeed happens.

01:08:22You have previously discussed the BEAT program's tech neutrality.

01:08:27That neutrality, as you know, is already built into the program.

01:08:31Starlink and other satellite internet companies will be eligible to be as part of the Michigan

01:08:37procurement process.

01:08:39However, and this is a big however, up until now, states have been able to exercise the

01:08:44judgment as to when they can get underserved communities the most reliable, the fastest,

01:08:49the most cost-effective internet possible, which is often fiber optics.

01:08:56It depends on the area, it depends on how rural you are, a lot of factors, but the states

01:09:00are making those decisions based on the unique characteristics there.

01:09:04So my question for you, again, yes or no, would work.

01:09:07If confirmed, will you continue to allow states to make a call about which technology they

01:09:12believe will best serve the communities in their individual state?

01:09:18Thank you, Senator.

01:09:19I believe that one of the reasons that the BEAT program has been so slow to roll out

01:09:25is because of excessive bureaucracy imposed by the federal government.

01:09:32I would hope that we could remove some of that red tape to get the program in a position

01:09:41to deploy as quickly as possible.

01:09:44So can I take from that answer, you say get rid of the red tape, let states make that

01:09:47decision, the federal government shouldn't insert themselves in that?

01:09:54If confirmed, I would certainly want to work with all the state broadband offices to better

01:09:59understand their needs and to ensure that the program is serving the interests of each

01:10:05state and not subjecting them to excessive red tape.

01:10:11So red taping, federal government dictating to a state, you would not want to see that.

01:10:16That doesn't sound what I'm hearing from you.

01:10:18A state should be able to decide their own, correct?

01:10:22You can be real concise, yes or no.

01:10:24I will abide by the law, Senator, to remove excessive red tape.

01:10:33Okay.

01:10:34As you know, the bipartisan infrastructure law allows states to utilize BEAT funds for

01:10:38certain non-deployment purposes.

01:10:41I believe that it's essential that we allow states, again, to maintain this flexibility.

01:10:45I'm all about states having flexibility, specifically when it comes to workforce and digital skills

01:10:50training, but also to allow states to ensure that communities that newly have access to

01:10:55broadband actually sign up to connect.

01:10:59So my question is, if confirmed, will you work to ensure states have the broadest possible

01:11:04flexibility in the use of these funds?

01:11:06I think I'm hearing that when you say you want to get rid of red tape.

01:11:10So yes or no, will you work to ensure states have the broadest possible flexibility in

01:11:15how they use their funds?

01:11:18Senator, I certainly agree with the goal of ensuring that states have what they need in

01:11:25order to get broadband to their constituents as quickly as possible.

01:11:29I will abide by the law.

01:11:31Very good.

01:11:32Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

01:11:37Senator Cantwell.

01:11:38Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

01:11:40Ms. Roth, in your testimony, you basically said a couple of times you want to make sure

01:11:44everybody gets covered.

01:11:46It's not the direct responsibility of NTIA, but do you think we should have allowed the

01:11:50ACP program to end?

01:11:55Senator, I've been nominated to NTIA, which didn't administer the ACP.

01:12:05That was the FCC's role.

01:12:07I agree with the goal of ensuring that broadband is affordable to all Americans.

01:12:13So if you had your preferences, you would prefer that a program like that, even if it

01:12:18was an ACP, you would prefer a program like that existed?

01:12:22Senator, I haven't been confirmed.

01:12:25I don't think that the administration has taken a position on this.

01:12:29I think broadband should be affordable for all Americans.

01:12:33It's something that requires an all-of-the-above solution.

01:12:38The particular way you go about it is something that I'd be happy to work with you on.

01:12:43I don't think it has been as affordable for a segment of the population that is below,

01:12:47let's say, $50,000 to $40,000 of income.

01:12:52The studies and analysis show they can't afford it.

01:12:55I think that's where the gap is.

01:12:57My personal opinion is that's what we should have focused on as we were looking at BEAD.

01:13:02I don't agree with the critique of the chairman about the BEAD program and the length of time

01:13:08and the deployment.

01:13:09Because basically, instead of letting the FCC, who I also agree wasn't doing a good

01:13:13enough job answering this question, we basically said, okay, we're going to take it out of

01:13:18the hands of the FCC, and now we're going to give it to states, and now they have to

01:13:21set this up, and then they can get the money, and then they can start the deployment.

01:13:25And that took longer.

01:13:26So I personally thought we should have drilled down on this little problem, which is the

01:13:32affordability issue for, you could call them late adopters.

01:13:36I call them just people who cannot afford broadband.

01:13:39And we should have focused more on that as a Congress.

01:13:42But our colleagues, you know, who were also frustrated, Maine, Alaska, various states,

01:13:50you know, very frustrated, basically said, oh, no, we're just going to get our states

01:13:54involved.

01:13:55Well, when states get involved, it becomes complex.

01:13:58And I also don't agree about, you know, the Starlink example of not being something to

01:14:03be concerned about, because we had in our state, look, Starlink deployments are very

01:14:10good for particular areas, and we could see a lot more competition in the future.

01:14:15So we're not even ruling that out.

01:14:17But we had decisions made where tribal areas basically went ahead and pushed with the state

01:14:24to get a satellite solution, only to find that they had to have a back call out that

01:14:30nobody had calculated when they made that decision to make that commitment to Starlink.

01:14:36So I do think we have to have really, you know, smart and technical people, you know,

01:14:41involved in this.

01:14:42I really do think that we have to figure out how we're going to get broadband connectivity

01:14:48to lower income Americans, and I hope that you will think about this for the record about

01:14:53how you can commit to that, because even though you're not the core entity, I do think this

01:14:59committee has said over time, they're kind of tired with us not having the solutions,

01:15:04and they want NTIA to play a larger role.

01:15:07And so we're not giving you that responsibility, but we are saying they do hope that NTIA plays

01:15:12a larger role on broadband in general.

01:15:15And I think that's because they're frustrated.

01:15:16So that gets me to the next question about technical expertise.

01:15:21You're a policy person, right?

01:15:23I don't know everything about your background, but you're mostly a policy realm, right?

01:15:29I think that's pretty accurate.

01:15:30Yeah, okay.

01:15:32So what do you think that you will do at NTIA to get a more technical team?

01:15:37The last person in your job was a very technical person.

01:15:40I'm not saying one thing or another about that.

01:15:42I'm just saying, what are you going to do to build the technical expertise under you

01:15:46or with you at NTIA?

01:15:50Thank you, Senator.

01:15:52I have had the honor of working with so many technical experts at NTIA over the years,

01:15:58particularly in the Office of Spectrum Management, at the ITS.

01:16:03I look forward to working with NTIA's distinguished career staff and working with them.

01:16:09It's something, you know, at the FCC as well, there were attorneys and then there were technical

01:16:15experts that we all have to work together to find the right solution.

01:16:19What do you think, you know, we got into arguments with agencies.

01:16:23You know, it was NOAA's scientist versus, you know, somebody else's scientist.

01:16:29What is the type of expertise you think we have to get at NTIA so that we are forward

01:16:34leaning in building that kind of expertise that we can use to get coordination within

01:16:40the federal government?

01:16:42Thank you, no, it's a good question.

01:16:47I think we need a mix of different expertise to address the tremendous challenges that

01:16:54we face on spectrum, on getting broadband connected.

01:17:00I look forward to working with your office on ensuring that we achieve these goals.

01:17:04But you agree if NTIA is going to play this role, which I think our committee thinks that

01:17:09it should, and historically we've been moving towards this, that NTIA has to have the technical

01:17:15horsepower to help succeed in the policy development.

01:17:22Yes, I've confirmed, you know, one thing I look forward to is getting to know NTIA's

01:17:32staff better.

01:17:33I've gotten to know some of them over the years, and I would welcome the opportunity

01:17:38to better understand NTIA's staffing needs.

01:17:44Well, one of the reasons I bring this up is the chairman earlier this morning at a hearing

01:17:48on the fatal crash at DCA, General Brahman, confirmed that despite FAA warnings, the Secret

01:17:55Service and Navy have been actively jamming spectrum used by aircraft collision avoidance

01:17:59systems at DCA.

01:18:01So if confirmed, you will play a vital role in that coordination process.

01:18:06So do you agree that national security and public safety risks, that we have to figure

01:18:11out how to work on these issues, and that NTIA has to help resolve these issues?

01:18:18Absolutely.

01:18:19NTIA has to work with other federal agencies to resolve technical disagreements, to ensure

01:18:28that national security and public safety are protected.

01:18:32It's an essential part of the interagency process.

01:18:35So in that regard, do you agree that NTIA, well, first of all, did you, the report that

01:18:40NTIA did that was about dynamic spectrum sharing, did you review that?

01:18:45I'm assuming you did.

01:18:46I can't remember if you were part of our secure brief last year on this.

01:18:52I'm not immediately familiar with which particular report you're referring to.

01:18:57Of course, NTIA has done a lot of research on spectrum innovation that I'm familiar with.

01:19:03So do you agree that NTIA, DOD, and other agencies must complete ongoing studies of

01:19:09the low gigahertz, you know, three gigahertz and seven and eight gigahertz band before

01:19:13making a decision to reallocate that spectrum?

01:19:17If confirmed, I look forward to getting, figuring out what the status of those studies are,

01:19:26and learning more.

01:19:27I know NTIA has some very accomplished technical experts that are working on studies, and I

01:19:32look forward to working with them.

01:19:35So do you think that before we do an allocation, that we should have that information?

01:19:43I believe that any allocation of spectrum needs to take feasibility studies into account

01:19:50and ensure that our national security is protected, as well as federal emissions.

01:19:54Well, I'm bringing this up because I think it was your witness, Matt Pearl, Director

01:19:58of Emergency Technology at CSIS, was at a recent hearing, and he basically said yes,

01:20:04before we move forward, obviously the chairman does have a proposal to move forward without

01:20:09doing that study and analysis, so I'm just trying to understand whether you think that

01:20:13that's vital to do.

01:20:14Because in reality, your job is going to be the person who's going to try to help solve

01:20:18all this, right?

01:20:19So I'm just trying to get a sense of whether you are going to move from one, you know,

01:20:25one position here to this larger coordination position, and whether you're going to make

01:20:30sure that the analysis, so important to DOD, gets done.

01:20:35Senator, I believe that national security needs to be paramount in any efforts to reallocate

01:20:43spectrum and spectrum studies and interagency coordination are a huge part of that.

01:20:51Okay, so I'm going to ask you for the record, give you a little more time to just say yes

01:20:56or no, whether that has to be completed.

01:20:58I'll write it up for you, and on the three gigahertz and seven and eight, whether that

01:21:02has to be completed before Congress goes ahead and does the allocation.

01:21:07So there's a couple of different ways that this, you know, could work.

01:21:11I mean, you certainly could write into the reconciliation bill that all that would have

01:21:15to be done.

01:21:16We're saying it has to be done, and obviously that's what we accomplished in the last administration

01:21:22is getting DOD and NTIA to agree.

01:21:25So we'd like to see the very technical analysis that has to happen be done, given the complaint.

01:21:33So just for the record, do you on the, my colleagues have asked a lot about bead funding.

01:21:41That's great.

01:21:42That means I don't have to ask as much.

01:21:44The bead funding allocations under law include $3.3 billion to Texas, $405 million to Nebraska,

01:21:52$451 to Kansas, $1.2 billion to West Virginia, $1 billion to Alaska.

01:21:58These are commitments that have been already committed in households.

01:22:03So will you commit to preserving these allocations that NTIA made to each state in 2023, including

01:22:11I think about a billion dollars to my home state of Washington?

01:22:15Senator, I will abide by the law.

01:22:21Is your interpretation of that law that, yes, you will go ahead and make those allocations?

01:22:26I can't commit to any specific outcome as I haven't been confirmed, but I will certainly

01:22:34You're saying you don't know what the administration is going to do.

01:22:36Is that what you're saying?

01:22:38I haven't been confirmed yet.

01:22:40I haven't had an opportunity to look into this issue yet, but I would, I will absolutely

01:22:47Well, you know the policy, though.

01:22:49You do know the policy, right?

01:22:51You know that was our intent, and the money has now been allocated, so it's a question

01:22:55of whether you think that those commitments made in 2023 should be upheld.

01:23:02I believe that NTIA, if confirmed, I look forward to reviewing those allocations and

01:23:12ensuring that the program is compliant with the law.

01:23:15I will always abide by the law, Senator, and I look forward to working with you on the

01:23:18BEAD program.

01:23:21I would like a stronger commitment, but we'll get back to you on the 3 gigahertz and a written

01:23:25answer.

01:23:26Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

01:23:29Thank you, Senator Cantwell.

01:23:31I will note that Senator Cantwell mentioned my pipeline legislation, said it did not require

01:23:39a feasibility study.

01:23:41Under the terms of the legislation, it actually directs the interagency to identify 600 megahertz

01:23:46that can be made available to the private sector and to engage in that interagency discussion,

01:23:52and that includes necessarily a technical and feasibility study.

01:23:56What it doesn't do is give DOD the ability to slow walk studies into eternity and block

01:24:02spectrum from being made available for job creation and to ensure that America beats

01:24:12China in 5G and 6G.

01:24:15I will also note earlier that Senator Markey somewhat oddly claimed that the Biden administration's

01:24:25partisan and political blacklisting of Starlink because they dislike Elon Musk, which had

01:24:31the consequence of denying many Americans broadband connectivity, he claimed it was

01:24:35somehow consistent with the statute.

01:24:38I just want to read into the record the language of the statute, 47 U.S.C. 17052, section 4,

01:24:46which reads, quote, covered broadband project, the term, quote, covered broadband project

01:24:54means a competitively and technologically neutral project for the deployment of fixed

01:25:01broadband service that provides qualifying broadband service in an eligible service area.

01:25:07That was written directly into the statute that it was meant to be technologically neutral,

01:25:13and if Elon Musk had decided to be a ginormous Democrat donor, I have no doubt that the Biden

01:25:18administration would have pulled out a pinata and celebrated Starlink providing broadband,

01:25:23but because he was on the other side politically, the American people paid the price and didn't

01:25:30get connected to the Internet.

01:25:32Mr. Chairman, if I could just on this issue, I think, you know, your example this morning

01:25:38at an earlier committee hearing, we do have interference, and it does affect the safety

01:25:45of aviation and could affect the safety of other things, and so I just hope that we will

01:25:50get to this point where we're working to make America competitive by having the dynamic

01:25:57spectrum sharing and the best expertise as a nation, but trying to put one cart in front

01:26:02of the other without answering those technical questions is a big concern, I think, for a

01:26:06lot of people here.

01:26:08Listen, Starlink, as I mentioned, is providing service in my state and doing so in great

01:26:16capacity, but I do think that states, you know, I'm not as big a personal fan of what

01:26:22happened because we moved the technical expertise from a very technical group of people, albeit

01:26:29they weren't moving fast enough, the FCC, to another group of people at states, and

01:26:33then they also didn't necessarily answer some of these questions, so I do think that communities

01:26:42need to know what they're getting, and they need to know that the solution, particularly

01:26:46on fiber that they may need to have their data also transferred out of the community

01:26:53is an important point, so I think it's safe to say we're going to have a lot of conversations

01:26:59about spectrum, about broadband, and continuing this, but I really hope that these various

01:27:07sectors would work together.

01:27:09I really do believe, I do believe in the Chips and Science Act, I do believe that one of

01:27:16the competitive things for our nation is to get deployment, but also get national security,

01:27:21so thank you, Mr. Chairman.

01:27:24And it is certainly right that we have to do these technically correct.

01:27:27I will note that we had interference at DCA because the Navy screwed up and didn't listen

01:27:33to the FAA, and that is not how this is supposed to operate.

01:27:37Ms. Roth, my final question is required of all nominees.

01:27:40If confirmed, do you pledge to work collaboratively with this committee to provide thorough and

01:27:44timely responses to this committee's request and to appear before the committee when requested?

01:27:49Yes, Senator.

01:27:53I have 15 letters of support for various organizations for Ms. Roth's nomination to be Assistant

01:27:57Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information that I ask unanimous consent to

01:28:01be inserted into the hearing record.

01:28:03Without objection, so ordered.

01:28:05Senators will have until the close of business Monday, March 31st, to submit questions for

01:28:09the record.

01:28:10The nominee will have until the close of business Friday, April 4th, to respond to those questions.

01:28:15This concludes today's hearing, and by the way, your children performed their task beautifully.

01:28:21A terrific success.

01:28:23The committee is adjourned.

Ted Cruz Leads Senate Commerce Committee Confirmation Hearing For Asst. Commerce Secretary Nominee

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