Remarks by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo at the NTIA Spectrum Policy Symposium

Remarks by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo at the NTIA Spectrum Policy Symposium
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Mon, 09/19/2022 – 10:36

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, September 19, 2022

Office of Public Affairs

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Thank you, Assistant Secretary Davidson, for that introduction, and for your incredible leadership at NTIA.

As Secretary of Commerce, I have one overarching goal: improving America’s competitiveness so all our workers and companies can succeed in the global economy.

That’s a major driver of our Internet For All Initiative. We won’t be a leader in the 21st-century global economy if millions of Americans can’t even get online. Using nearly $50 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are bringing high-speed, affordable internet to every American.

We also can’t fall behind when it comes to supporting innovation.

Thanks to the CHIPS and Science Act, we’re investing $50 billion to supercharge domestic semiconductor production and begin a new chapter in U.S. innovation and R&D. More than a billion dollars of that funding is going to an NTIA-administered innovation fund to help improve 5G networks and boost domestic manufacturing.

And today, we’re here to talk about spectrum. Spectrum is a limited resource. Unlike chips, we can’t just manufacture more spectrum. It plays a central role in our economy, in the services our government provides, and in everyone’s safety and security. Spectrum enables the every day and the extraordinary, from being able to watch videos on your phone to powering our mission to the Moon.

Even within the Commerce Department, we rely on spectrum. NOAA’s radars use it to track severe weather, satellites use it for forecasting, and hurricane-hunter aircraft use it to predict how storms will evolve.

Spectrum also powers FirstNet, the wireless network that serves public safety in every state and territory.

It’s not easy to balance all of these uses of spectrum. But we have to get it right.

Alan and his team are working hard with our partners at the FCC, government spectrum users, and the private sector to build out a national spectrum strategy. I am looking forward to seeing significant progress in the weeks to come.

And I’m very pleased with the robust program we have for you today. We’re grateful to be joined by FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel, Defense Department CIO John Sherman, and a number of private sector leaders who think about these issues every day.

So, thank you again for joining us today, whether you’re here in person or watching online. I hope you’ll consider NTIA and the Commerce Department’s resources and allies. With that, I’ll turn it back to Alan.

Bureaus and Offices

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Leadership

Gina M. Raimondo

Tags

Broadband
CHIPS Act
Spectrum Management

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