Media Contact: Regina Davis, rdavis@naruc.org

Signals Positive Step Toward More State Engagement and Funding Opportunities

WASHINGTON (May 16, 2022) — In response to the announcement from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on the release of $45 billion to deliver broadband service to all Americans, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners has issued these statements:

“The investment of billions of dollars to help all Americans fully realize and experience the opportunities afforded by high-speed Internet demonstrates a significant commitment to improving the lives of members of underserved and historically marginalized communities,” said Michigan Commissioner Tremaine L. Phillips, who chairs the NARUC Committee on Telecommunications. “We urge the Biden-Harris Administration and the NTIA to encourage state officials to include their state utility regulators in the process of creating the required state plans, as NARUC’s members have the infrastructure and experience to provide enforcement, audit and outreach capabilities necessary to help ensure the success of this initiative.”

“We have long advocated for greater access to broadband over many years, through resolutions, a task force, letters to lawmakers and in our meetings,” said NARUC President Judith Williams Jagdmann. “We stand ready to assist state and federal officials, as needed, on this important initiative.”

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About NARUC

NARUC is a non-profit organization founded in 1889 whose members include the governmental agencies that are engaged in the regulation of utilities and carriers in the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. NARUC’s member agencies regulate telecommunications, energy, and water utilities. NARUC represents the interests of state public utility commissions before the three branches of the federal government.