    [Senate Hearing 119-236]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                                                            S. Hrg. 119-236

                          NOMINATION OF ARIELLE ROTH,
                      NOMINEE TO BE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF
                        COMMERCE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND
                    INFORMATION, NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS
                         AND INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

    =======================================================================

                                    HEARING

                                   before the

                             COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
                          SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
                              UNITED STATES SENATE

                        ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                                   __________

                                 MARCH 27, 2025

                                   __________

        Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
                                 Transportation

         [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILANLE IN TIFF FORMAT

                    Available online: http://www.govinfo.gov

                         U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
    62-231 PDF                     WASHINGTON : 2026

           SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION

                        ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                           TED CRUZ, Texas, Chairman
    JOHN THUNE, South Dakota             MARIA CANTWELL, Washington,
    ROGER WICKER, Mississippi                Ranking
    DEB FISCHER, Nebraska                AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
    JERRY MORAN, Kansas                  BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
    DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska                 EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts
    MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee          GARY PETERS, Michigan
    TODD YOUNG, Indiana                  TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin
    TED BUDD, North Carolina             TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois
    ERIC SCHMITT, Missouri               JACKY ROSEN, Nevada
    JOHN CURTIS, Utah                    BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico
    BERNIE MORENO, Ohio                  JOHN HICKENLOOPER, Colorado
    TIM SHEEHY, Montana                  JOHN FETTERMAN, Pennsylvania
    SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia  ANDY KIM, New Jersey
    CYNTHIA LUMMIS, Wyoming              LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER, Delaware
                     Brad Grantz, Republican Staff Director
               Nicole Christus, Republican Deputy Staff Director
                         Liam McKenna, General Counsel
                       Lila Harper Helms, Staff Director
                     Melissa Porter, Deputy Staff Director
                         Jonathan Hale, General Counsel
                                C O N T E N T S

                                  ----------
                                                                       Page
    Hearing held on March 27, 2025...................................     1
    Statement of Senator Cruz........................................     1
        Letter to Hon. Ted Cruz and Hon. Maria Cantwell from Mark
          Niemeyer, President, Western Fire Chiefs Association.......    42
        Letter dated February 4, 2025 to Hon. Ted Cruz from Todd
          Schlekeway, President and CEO, NATE........................    43
        Letter dated February 18, 2025 to Hon. John Thune, Hon. Chuck
          Schumer, Hon. Ted Cruz and Hon. Maria Cantwell from Nathan
          Leamer, Executive Director, Digital First Project; Ryan
          Walker, Executive Vice President, Heritage Action; Harold
          Furchtgott-Roth, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for the
          Economics of the Internet, Hudson Institute; Todd
          Schlekeway, President and CEO, NATE: The Communications
          Infrastructure Contractors Association; Mike O'Rielly,
          Senior Fellow, Free State Foundation; David Williams,
          President, Taxpayers Protection Alliance; Evan
          Swarztrauber, Senior Fellow, Foundation for American
          Innovation; Tom Hebert, Executive Director, Open
          Competition Center; Paul Winfree, PhD, President & CEO,
          Economic Policy Innovation Center; Terry Schilling,
          President, American Principles Project; James Erwin,
          Executive Director, Digital Liberty; Gerard Scimeca,
          Chairman, Consumer Action for a Strong Economy; Clare
          Morrell, Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Commission; Jeff
          Mazzella, President, Center For Individual Freedom; Aiden
          Buzzetti, President, Bull Moose Project; Yael Ossowski,
          Deputy Director, Consumer Choice Center; Ian Adams,
          Executive Director, International Center for Lawand
          Economics; Caden Rosenbaum, Senior Policy Analyst, Libertas
          Institute; and Ashley Baker, Director of Public Policy,
          Committee For Justice......................................    44
        Letter dated February 28, 2025 to Hon. Ted Cruz and Hon.
          Maria Cantwell from James Erwin, Executive Director,
          Digital Liberty............................................    47
        Letter dated March 4, 2025 to Hon. Ted Cruz and Hon. Maria
          Cantwell from Jeffrey D. Shoaf, Chief Executive Officer,
          Associated General Contractors Association (AGC)...........    49
        Letter dated March 4, 2025 to Hon. Ted Cruz and Hon. Maria
          Cantwell from ACT | The App Association, Alliance for
          Telecommunications Industry Solutions, CEDIA, Consumer
          Technology Association, CTIA--The Wireless Association, GPS
          Innovation Alliance, INCOMPAS, Internet Infrastructure
          Coalition, Information Technology Industry Council,
          Institute for Education, USTelecom, TechNet, Wireless
          Infrastructure Association, and XR Association.............    50
        Letter dted March 7, 2025 to Hon. Ted Cruz and Hon. Maria
          Cantwell from Shirley Bloomfield, Chief Executive Officer,
          NTCA--The Rural Broadband Association......................    52
        Letter dated March 20, 2025 to Hon. Ted Cruz and Hon. Maria
          Cantwell from Grant Spellmeyer, President and CEO, ACA
          Connects: America's Communication Association..............    53
        Letter dated March 21, 2025 to Hon. Ted Cruz and Hon. Maria
          Cantwell from David Zumwalt, President and CEO, WISPA--
          Broadband Without Boundaries...............................    55
        Letter dated March 24, 2025 to Hon. Ted Cruz from Curtis J.
          LeGeyt, President and CEO, National Association of
          Broadcasters...............................................    57
        Letter dated March 24, 2025 to Hon. Ted Cruz and Honn. Maria
          Cantwell from Jonathan Spalter, President and Chief
          Executive Officer, USTelecom...............................    58
        Letter dated March 25, 2025 to Hon. Ted Cruz and Honn. Maria
          Cantwell from Fire Chief Josh Waldo, CFO, EFO IAFC
          President and Board Chair 2024-2025........................    59
        Letter dated March 25, 2025 to Hon. Ted Cruz and Hon. Maria
          Cantwell from Michael K. Powell, President and CEO, NCTA--
          The Internet & Television Association......................    60
        Letter dated March 26, 2025 to Hon. Ted Cruz and Hon. Maria
          Cantwell from Patrick Yoes, National President, Fraternal
          Order of Police............................................    61
    Statement of Senator Cantwell....................................     3
    Statement of Senator Klobuchar...................................    18
    Statement of Senator Baldwin.....................................    19
    Statement of Senator Moreno......................................    21
    Statement of Senator Kim.........................................    22
    Statement of Senator Blunt Rochester.............................    24
    Statement of Senator Markey......................................    25
        Article from Bloomberg dated March 25, 2025 entitled ``Musk's
          Broadband Satellites Have Long-TermCosts, States Say'' by
          Kelcee Griffis.............................................    28
    Statement of Senator Hickenlooper................................    33
    Statement of Senator Peters......................................    35

                                   Witnesses

    Hon. Roy Blunt, U.S. Senator from Missouri.......................     4
    Arielle Roth, Nominee to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for
      Communications and Information, National Telecommunications and
      Information Administration.....................................     6
        Prepared statement...........................................     7
        Biographical information.....................................     8

                                    Appendix

    Response to written questions submitted to Arielle Roth by:
        Hon. John Thune..............................................    63
        Hon. Deb Fischer.............................................    64
        Hon. Dan Sullivan............................................    65
        Hon. Shelley Moore Capito....................................    66
        Hon. Maria Cantwell..........................................    68
        Hon. Brian Schatz............................................    81
        Hon. Edward Markey...........................................    83
        Hon. Gary Peters.............................................    85
        Hon. Tammy Baldwin...........................................    86
        Hon. Jacky Rosen.............................................    86
        Hon. Ben Ray Lujan...........................................    89
        Hon. John Hickenlooper.......................................    91
        Hon. Lisa Blunt Rochester....................................    91

                          NOMINATION OF ARIELLE ROTH,

                       NOMINEE TO BE ASSISTANT SECRETARY

                         OF COMMERCE FOR COMMUNICATIONS

                           AND INFORMATION, NATIONAL

                             TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND

                           INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

                                  ----------

                            THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2025

                                           U.S. Senate,
            Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
                                                        Washington, DC.
        The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:15 p.m., in
    room SR-253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Ted Cruz,
    Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
        Present: Senators Cruz, Fischer, Moran, Young, Moreno,
    Sheehy, Cantwell, Klobuchar, Markey, Peters, Baldwin, Rosen,
    Hickenlooper, Kim, and Blunt Rochester.

                  OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. TED CRUZ,
                        U.S. SENATOR FROM TEXAS

        Chairman Cruz. Good morning. This hearing will come to
    order.
        Today, I am delighted to say we are considering the
    nomination of Arielle Roth to be the Assistant Secretary of
    Commerce for Communications and Information. If confirmed, Ms.
    Roth will lead the National Telecommunications and Information
    Administration, the NTIA, at the Department of Commerce and
    will advise the President on telecommunications and information
    policy.
        As folks here know, Arielle is an esteemed member of the
    Republican staff on this Committee. I am not sure I have ever
    met someone as passionate about telecommunications law and
    policy as Arielle. Her work ethic is indefatigable and only
    rivaled by her dedication to public service. If she is
    confirmed, President Trump's administration will be blessed to
    be getting her great talents.
        For more than two years, Arielle has done an exceptional
    job as our telecommunications policy director. She has led our
    efforts to promote affordable connectivity, to protect the
    taxpayer against wasteful spending, and to promote economic
    innovation in telecom. And as a mother, she has been a tireless
    advocate for protecting children from excessive screen time and
    online harms.
        If confirmed, Arielle will play an integral role in the
    management of the Federal Government's use of the
    electromagnetic spectrum. She will work closely with Federal
    agencies to protect critical uses of spectrum--whether for
    national defense, weather forecasting, or transportation--while
    identifying opportunities to free up spectrum for commercial
    use. As I have stated before, American leadership in spectrum
    is vital to the security of global telecommunications networks,
    our own national security, and our economic success.
        NTIA also plays a crucial role in administering billions of
    dollars for Federal broadband programs like the Broadband
    Equity, Access, and Deployment, the BEAD program. Due to
    inaction and ideological handwringing by the previous
    administration, to date, BEAD has not connected even a single
    American to high-speed Internet service. Hear that again--$42
    billion to connect zero human beings.
        This is the result of prioritizing partisan requirements
    like ``climate resiliency'' and rate regulation over actually
    connecting those who are offline. Such requirements--which were
    never approved by Congress or codified in statute--had
    virtually nothing to do with BEAD's intended purpose. Now we
    have an opportunity to strip away the fluff and to redirect the
    program back to its core mission of connecting Americans to
    broadband.
        Arielle's qualifications show that she is the right person
    for this job. Her telecommunication experience dates back to
    her time as a legal fellow at the Hudson Institute Center for
    Economics of the Internet. Then, for four years, Ms. Roth
    served at the Federal Communications Commission as the Wireless
    Advisor for then-Commissioner Michael O'Rielly.
        Ms. Roth next turned to Congress, where she worked on
    telecommunications policy at the House Energy and Commerce
    Committee, and later as legislative counsel to our friend,
    Senator Roy Blunt, a long-serving former member of this
    Committee who has come back to join us today.
        Simply put, her experience, both in Congress and at the
    FCC, makes her ideally suited to lead NTIA.
        I have received letters of support for Ms. Roth from major
    telecommunications groups representing sectors from radio to
    Internet to broadband. I wholeheartedly support her
    confirmation and look forward to hearing more about her
    approach to managing NTIA. And I would note that she is joined
    by her beautiful family--her husband, her five children, and
    number six, which could arrive at any time, including during
    this hearing. So I am going to ask all of my colleagues to be
    gentle unless we have to call our colleague, Roger Marshall, to
    deliver a child during a confirmation hearing. But I am hopeful
    the timing will not exactly----
        Senator Cantwell. I thought he was an ophthalmologist.
        [Laughter.]
        Chairman Cruz. No, no, no. Roger has delivered like 5,000
    babies.
        Senator Klobuchar. That is Rand Paul.
        Chairman Cruz. That is Rand. Rand would do eye surgery,
    which would not be the right response. But Roger would be up to
    the task.
        And with that I recognize the Ranking Member for her
    opening remarks.

                   STATEMENT OF HON. MARIA CANTWELL,
                      U.S. SENATOR FROM WASHINGTON

        Senator Cantwell. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and
    congratulations on your nomination. Welcome to your family, all
    coordinated there, and this crucial role that NTIA plays in
    administering billions of dollars in broadband expansion and
    managing the use of Federal spectrum. You have a good advocate
    next to you, who we miss having here on the Committee, and we
    look forward to hearing from Senator Blunt in a few minutes.
        Ms. Roth, I expect to have a very substantive conversation
    about your vision and priorities for NTIA. I want to hear from
    you about your plans for leading this agency. You have worked
    on and spoken publicly about many of these issues for several
    years, so I expect we can have that robust discussion.
        The $42 billion BEAD Equity, Access, and Development
    program I am sure is top of mind for many members here today,
    as it is for me. But just to clarify, when Senator Wicker and I
    were working together as the Chair and Ranking Member for this
    Committee, we did not pass this legislation out of Committee.
    It was worked by a group of bipartisan members on the Senate
    floor. I think it is safe to say that both Senator Wicker and I
    objected to that process, because we thought the Committee of
    jurisdiction should be listened to, and that there would be
    some haphazardness with the program as it then would be
    implemented.
        In my home state, where Microsoft has better broadband maps
    than the FCC, it is frustrating to my constituents, but we do
    not agree with Secretary Lutnick's announcement to just clear
    out the changes to the broadband program. One of the proposals
    in the broadband program we think is being worked successfully
    is the Middle Mile Program, by our colleague Senator Rosen and
    others, that was also sponsored by myself and the Senator from
    West Virginia, because we think that fiber broadband is a
    really good solution for lots of different reasons, certainly
    on the security level.
        So we do believe that changes could undermine the goals of
    helping states achieve these goals and connect all their
    residents. I hope that you will commit today to allowing states
    to proceed, not just Washington or states like Delaware,
    Nevada, and Louisiana, which are ready to do shovel-ready
    projects, but hear from you about how you see those plans being
    carried out.
        My concerns about delays and uncertainty of the program is
    that while Elon Musk and others have solutions in the
    marketplace--they certainly have been deployed in my state--
    people want to understand and make sure there are not conflicts
    of interest there and want to understand how those policies and
    prospects are going to be dealt with.
        I am also concerned that President Trump's tariffs will
    impact the cost of materials and ultimately cost us more in
    driving up broadband costs. A new study by
    Pricewaterhousecoopers indicates that the proposed tariffs
    could cost about $126 billion or more across the technology and
    telecommunications sector. Ultimately tariffs mean higher
    costs, and higher costs mean the dollars will not go as far.
        Also, the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is of great
    interest. It is critical to advancing broadband deployment on
    Tribal lands as well as important Internet adoptions and skill
    rates. Nineteen Tribes in Washington have received funds from
    the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program to ensure that high-
    speed, reliable Internet is affordable across Tribal Indian
    Country. So there is also about $1 billion left to award, and
    NTIA must expeditiously, in my opinion, award those Tribal
    dollars.
        Mr. Chairman, there are many times that this Committee and
    the Indian Affairs Committee go back and forth over this, I
    would say that the summation of this has been a lot of
    frustration about telecom policy not getting carried out in
    Indian Country, and then they are being the more directive $2
    billion program that was part of the BEAD package saying to
    NTIA, ``No, no, no. You do this. We want direct
    accountability.'' So we will want to hear about that direct
    accountability in Indian Country.
        There are other issues that we would like to hear about,
    particularly on the issue of cybersecurity and cyberattacks,
    including the one at Sea-Tac Airport and the nationwide Salt
    Typhoon attack. These are just only increasing in frequency.
        NTIA is also responsible for managing spectrum, as you
    mentioned, Mr. Chairman, and this job that Ms. Roth is seeking
    will serve as the President's principal advisor on these
    issues. I have long advocated for an evidence-based approach to
    spectrum management and the many challenges we face. During the
    first Trump administration, the race to bring spectrum to
    commercial market without proper studies or interagency
    coordination, most notably auctioning of the C-band for 5G
    without coordination with the FAA. The risk of this
    interference and confusion that it means to grounding flights
    is something we need to avoid in the future.
        We also need to have a clear conversation about our
    national security interests. And I know that this is something
    that Ms. Roth has had a lot of attention on, as here in the
    Committee we have had a discussion about middle-band spectrum.
    So I look forward to asking you about how we preserve our
    national security agenda. That is why I believe that the NTIA
    Administrator on this issue is so critically important. There
    is a lot to do to achieve security and competitiveness for our
    Nation.
        Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cruz. Thank you. I now recognize our friend and
    former colleague, the Senator from the great state of Missouri,
    Roy Blunt. And I would note that when he was here one of the
    things that Senator Blunt took the lead on was renovating this
    hearing room. And as Ranking Member Cantwell observed, he built
    this fancy dais with all this high tech here, and she said she
    suggested at the time we should put a plaque naming this the
    Blunt Dais, and I think that is an excellent idea. And I am
    hereby instructing my staff to make it happen, because it is a
    great idea.
        And with that, Senator Blunt, you are recognized to
    introduce the nominee.

                     STATEMENT OF HON. ROY BLUNT,
                       U.S. SENATOR FROM MISSOURI

        Senator Blunt. Thank you. You might have to include Senator
    Klobuchar on that dais, as the Ranking Member at the time, and
    a great person to work with. But great to be here with you.
        Chairman Cruz. We will take that as a friendly amendment.
        Senator Blunt. A friendly amendment. You and I both had the
    opportunity to work with Arielle. Your comments about her work
    ethic, her dedication to the job, and her family and her
    country all are good, and I am really delighted to be here.
    Glad to be here with you and Ranking Member Senator Cantwell,
    members of the Committee. I am happy to be back in the Commerce
    Committee. I served for 12 years on the House Commerce
    Committee, and 12 years on this Committee, and I liked every
    day of it.
        I am most pleased to be here with Arielle Roth. She is here
    because of her nomination to be the Assistant Secretary of
    Commerce for Communications and Information. I think she is
    exactly the kind of thorough and principled leader the
    President, Secretary Lutnick, and our fellow citizens need to
    have and should have in this job.
        Many of you have come to know her well because she has
    worked for the Committee for the past 2 years, and for Chairman
    Cruz. Prior to her time leading the telecommunications
    oversight for the Chairman, Arielle was a trusted legislative
    counsel in my office, from August 2021 until I retired in
    January 2023. During that time, she handled the entire breadth
    of our Commerce Committee portfolio. Everything from travel and
    tourism to broadband and telecommunications policy was
    something she worked on, worked with members of this Committee
    to shepherd the lasting bipartisan bills to the President's
    desk, that included restoring the Brand USA. I did that with
    Senator Klobuchar; as the principal sponsor of the Low-Power TV
    Protection Act, with Senator Wyden and Senator Klobuchar, were
    all things that Arielle Roth worked on.
        Before joining my office, as you said, Chairman, she had
    worked for the FCC and on the House Energy and Commerce
    Committee. Obviously, very helpful experience for the job she
    has been nominated to.
        As many of you know, one of my chief priorities as Senator
    was to expand broadband access in underserved communities. When
    I started working on that problem, two-thirds of Missourians
    did not have access to adequate high-speed broadband. It is
    still 30 percent so there is still a lot to be done. Arielle
    understood that as we worked together on this, and was
    dedicated to trying to deliver those services to people who
    were unserved.
        And finally, she is surrounded, as you mentioned, Mr.
    Chairman, by a supportive and growing family. Frankly, when she
    worked with me I wondered how could you have five kids and be
    at work every day, but she was, and was dedicated to her work,
    dedicated to her family, dedicated to her faith. Faith and
    family are an important foundation for those to be entrusted
    with public trust, and she certainly exemplifies that.
        I know she will serve with distinction as Assistant
    Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, and I
    could not be more proud of her today, nor could I be more
    pleased to be here with her today.
        Chairman Cruz. Thank you, Senator Blunt. I will now
    recognize Ms. Roth for her opening statement, and she is
    welcome to say anything she likes. But the one thing that is
    mandatory is she is obliged to introduce her beautiful family.

    STATEMENT OF ARIELLE ROTH, NOMINEE TO BE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF
                    COMMERCE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND
             INFORMATION, NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND
                       INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

        Ms. Roth. Will do. Chairman Cruz, Ranking Member Cantwell,
    and distinguished members of the Senate Committee on Commerce,
    Science, and Transportation, I am deeply humbled to testify
    before you today and grateful to President Trump for nominating
    me to serve our great nation as Assistant Secretary of Commerce
    for Communications and Information.
        It is a particular honor to testify before the Senate
    Commerce Committee. I have tremendous respect for this
    Committee's accomplished members, hardworking staff, and record
    of bipartisan work. Over the past four years, I have been
    fortunate to work for two esteemed public servants on this
    committee. Chairman Cruz, working for you to advance economic
    growth, innovation, and the rule of law has been an
    extraordinary privilege. Senator Blunt, thank you for your
    mentorship in pragmatism, bipartisanship, and civic virtue.
        I have also had the honor of working for some of the most
    principled and respected experts in the telecom field: Former
    FCC Commissioners Harold Furchtgott-Roth and Mike O'Rielly and
    former Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau, Kris Monteith.
        Of course, none of these opportunities would have been
    possible without the support of my family. My parents, Dr. Mark
    and Peggi Rabinovitch, who are here today, instilled in me
    values of compassion, gratitude, perseverance, and community
    service. My husband and soulmate, Yaakov, is the most
    incredible husband and father. Our children, Samson, Nina,
    Gefen, Rory, and Judah, are my life's greatest blessings, and I
    thank God every day for the privilege of being their mother.
        I have experienced firsthand the incredible opportunities
    America has to offer. This country has given me, and countless
    others, the freedom to pursue our dreams, and build a better
    country for the next generation.
        As a person of deep Jewish faith, it is moving to me to
    offer my testimony on the eve of Passover, the holiday in which
    we celebrate the triumph of freedom over tyranny. Our Rabbis
    teach us that true liberation comes not just from physical
    freedom but from spiritual freedom achieved through the pursuit
    of wisdom, education, and ethical action. It is in this spirit
    that I dedicate myself to the service of our country and
    ensuring opportunity is accessible to all Americans.
        For the past decade, I have been lucky to work on a special
    kind of access to opportunity--expanding access to high-speed
    Internet--and assist lawmakers dedicated to advancing
    innovation, promoting public safety, defending taxpayers, and
    protecting children online. It has been my privilege to work on
    bipartisan legislation like the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act
    with Senator Markey; the SAT Streamlining Act with Senator
    Rosen; the Low Power Protection Act with Senators Wyden and
    Klobuchar; and the Kids Off Social Media Act with Senator
    Schatz. If confirmed, I will bring this experience and my
    understanding of the policy challenges we face today to the
    work of NTIA.
        One of the most pressing tasks ahead of us is ensuring that
    we finish the job of expanding broadband access to unserved
    communities. Thanks to Congress's historic, bipartisan
    investments in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, NTIA
    has a responsibility to ensure that these funds are spent
    efficiently, expeditiously, and consistent with the laws
    written by Congress. I look forward to working with Members of
    Congress on both sides of the aisle to ensure that the BEAD
    program is a success and lives up to its bipartisan legacy.
        I am also committed to harnessing the potential of our
    Nation's spectrum resources while safeguarding national
    security. As the President's primary telecommunications and
    spectrum advisor, NTIA's leadership is pivotal in ensuring our
    Nation's economic prosperity, technology leadership, and
    national security. NTIA also plays an important role in shaping
    U.S. positions before international standard-setting bodies,
    and it is essential that these decisions reflect U.S.
    interests. I look forward to working with NTIA's distinguished
    career staff, from whom I have learned so much over the past
    few years, to advance these policies.
        Finally, one of the most pressing communications issues
    facing our Nation today is one that is close to home: how to
    protect children from online threats and excessive screen use.
    As a mother of five--God willing, soon to be six--I know
    firsthand what a struggle it can be to monitor and limit kids'
    Internet and screen time. If confirmed as NTIA Administrator, I
    will look for ways to support the Administration on addressing
    these challenges for parents and children.
        I look forward to working with Members of Congress,
    Commerce Secretary Lutnick, and other key stakeholders to
    advance these important policies, and I am eager to contribute
    to the continued growth and success of our Nation's
    communications networks.
        Thank you again for the opportunity to speak with you
    today. I am grateful for your consideration and look forward to
    answering your questions.
        [The prepared statement and biographical information of Ms.
    Roth follow:]

    Prepared Statement of Arielle Roth, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of
                  Commerce for Communications and Information
        Chairman Cruz, Ranking Member Cantwell, and distinguished members
    of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation:
        I am deeply humbled to testify before you today and grateful to
    President Trump for nominating me to serve our great nation as
    Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information.
        It is a particular honor to testify before the Senate Commerce
    Committee. I have tremendous respect for this committee's accomplished
    members, hardworking staff, and record of bipartisan work. Over the
    past four years, I have been fortunate to work for two esteemed public
    servants on this committee.
        Chairman Cruz: working for you to advance economic growth,
    innovation, and the rule of law has been an extraordinary privilege.
        Senator Blunt: thank you for your mentorship in pragmatism,
    bipartisanship, and civic virtue.
        I have also had the honor of working for some of the most
    principled and respected experts in the telecom field: Former FCC
    Commissioners Harold Furchtgott-Roth and Mike O'Rielly and former Chief
    of the Wireline Competition Bureau, Kris Monteith.
        Of course, none of these opportunities would have been possible
    without the support of my family. My parents, Dr. Mark and Peggi
    Rabinovitch, who are here today, instilled in me values of compassion,
    gratitude, humility, and perseverance.
        My husband and soul mate, Yaakov, is the most incredible husband
    and father. Our children--Samson, Nina, Gefen, Rory, and Judah--are my
    life's greatest blessings, and I thank God every day for the privilege
    of being their mother.
        I have experienced firsthand the incredible opportunities America
    has to offer. This country has given me, and countless others, the
    freedom to pursue our dreams, and build a better country for the next
    generation.
        As a person of deep Jewish faith, it is moving to me to offer my
    testimony on the eve of Passover--the holiday in which we celebrate the
    triumph of freedom over tyranny. Our rabbis teach us that true
    liberation comes not just from physical freedom, but from spiritual
    freedom achieved through the pursuit of wisdom, education, and ethical
    action. It is in this spirit that I dedicate myself to the service of
    our country and ensuring opportunity is accessible to all Americans.
        For the past decade, I have been lucky to work on a special kind of
    access to opportunity--expanding access to high-speed Internet--and
    assist lawmakers dedicated to advancing innovation, promoting public
    safety, defending taxpayers, and protecting children online. It has
    been my privilege to work on bipartisan legislation like the AM Radio
    for Every Vehicle Act with Senator Markey; the SAT Streamlining Act
    with Senator Rosen; the Low Power Protection Act with Senators Wyden
    and Klobuchar; and the Kids Off Social Media Act with Senator Schatz.
    If confirmed, I will bring this experience and my understanding of the
    policy challenges we face today to the work of NTIA.
        One of the most pressing tasks ahead of us is ensuring that we
    finish the job of expanding broadband access to unserved communities.
    Thanks to Congress's historic, bipartisan investments in the
    Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, NTIA has a responsibility to
    ensure that these funds are spent efficiently, expeditiously, and
    consistent with the law as written by Congress. I look forward to
    working with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to ensure
    that the BEAD program is a success and lives up to its bipartisan
    legacy.
        I am also committed to harnessing the potential of our Nation's
    spectrum resources while safeguarding national security. As the
    President's primary telecommunications and spectrum advisor, NTIA's
    leadership is pivotal in ensuring our Nation's economic prosperity,
    technology leadership, and national security. NTIA also plays an
    important role in shaping U.S. positions before international standard-
    setting bodies, and it is essential that these decisions reflect U.S.
    interests.
        I look forward to working with NTIA's distinguished career staff--
    from whom I've learned so much over the past few years--to advance
    these policies.
        Finally, one of the most pressing communications issues facing our
    Nation today is one that's close to home--how to protect children from
    online threats and excessive screen use. As a mother of five (God
    willing, soon to be six), I know firsthand what a struggle it can be to
    monitor and limit kids' Internet and screen time. If confirmed as NTIA
    Administrator, I will look for ways to support the administration on
    addressing these challenges for parents and children.
        I look forward to working closely with members of Congress,
    Commerce Secretary Lutnick, and other key stakeholders to advance these
    important policies, and I am eager to contribute to the continued
    growth and success of our Nation's communications networks.
        Thank you again for the opportunity to speak with you today. I am
    grateful for your consideration and look forward to answering your
    questions.
                                     ______

                          a. biographical information
        1. Name (Include any former names or nicknames used):

            Arielle Sandra Roth (maiden name: Arielle Sandra Rabinovitch)

        2. Position to which nominated: Assistant Secretary of Commerce for
    Communications and Information
        3. Date of Nomination: February 3, 2025.
        4. Address (List current place of residence and office addresses):

            Residence: Iformation not released to the public.
            Office: Dirksen Senate Office Building, #512 50 Constitution
            Ave NE, Washington, DC 20001.

        5. Date and Place of Birth: Montreal, Canada.
        6. Provide the name, position, and place of employment for your
    spouse (if married) or domestic partner, and the names and ages of your
    children (including stepchildren and children by a previous marriage).

            Spouse: Jacob (``Yaakov'') Moshe Roth, Partner, Jones Day, 51
            Louisiana Ave NW Washington, DC 20001.

        7. List all college and graduate schools attended, whether or not
    you were granted a degree by the institution. Provide the name of the
    institution, the dates attended, the degree received, and the date of
    the degree.

    McGill University Faculty of Law, August 2009-December 2012

       Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Civil Law (LLB-BCL), June
            2013

    Georgetown University Law Center, August 2011-December 2011

       Visiting student (no degree)

    University of Toronto, August 2005-June 2009

       Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, June 2008

       Began master's program in Political Theory in Fall 2008 but
            left to attend law school mid-program.

        8. List all post-undergraduate employment, including the job title,
    name of employer, and inclusive dates of employment, and highlight all
    management-level jobs held and any non-managerial jobs that relate to
    the position for which you are nominated.

       Policy Director, Telecommunications, Senate Committee on
            Commerce, Science, and Transportation, January 2023 to present*

       Legislative Counsel, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, August 2021-
            January 2023**

       FCC Attorney on Detail, House Committee on Energy and
            Commerce, April 2021-August 2021**

    Attorney Advisor, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Federal
            Communications Commission, January 2021-April 2021**

    Wireline Advisor, Office of Commissioner Michael O'Rielly, Federal
            Communications Commission, September 2018-January 2021**

       Legal Advisor, Wireline Competition Bureau, Federal
            Communications Commission, September 2017-September 2018**

       Legal Fellow, Center for the Economics of the Internet,
            Hudson Institute, July 2015-September 2017**

       Intern, Federalist Society, May 2010-August 2010

        * Denotes management-level job that is relevant to the position for
    which I have been nominated.
        ** Denotes non-managerial job that is relevant to the position for
    which I have been nominated.
        9. Attach a copy of your resume.
        See Attachment A.
        10. List any advisory, consultative, honorary, or other part-time
    service or positions with Federal, State, or local governments, other
    than those listed above after 18 years of age. None.
        11. List all positions held as an officer, director, trustee,
    partner, proprietor, agent, representative, or consultant of any
    corporation, company, firm, partnership, or other business, enterprise,
    educational, or other institution. None.
        12. List all memberships you have had after 18 years of age or
    currently hold with any civic, social, charitable, educational,
    political, professional, fraternal, benevolent or religiously
    affiliated organization, private club, or other membership organization
    (You do not have to list your religious affiliation or membership in a
    religious house of worship or institution). Include dates of membership
    and any positions you have held with any organization. Please note
    whether any such club or organization restricts membership on the basis
    of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, or disability.
    Federalist Society
       I have been a member since 2016.

       I have been a member of Telecommunications & Electronic
            Media Practice Group Executive Committee since 2017.
    Federal Communications Bar Association
       I have been a member periodically since 2017.
    Massachusetts Bar
       I have been a member in active standing since 2016.
    Conservative Party of Canada
       Before moving to the U.S. in 2011, I was a member
            periodically since approximately 2004.

        None of these groups restricts membership on the basis of race,
    sex, color, religion, national origin, age, or disability.
        13. Have you ever been a candidate for and/or held a public office
    (elected, non-elected, or appointed)? If so, indicate whether any
    campaign has any outstanding debt, the amount, and whether you are
    personally liable for that debt. No.
        14. List all memberships and offices held with and services
    rendered to, whether compensated or not, any political party or
    election committee within the past ten years. If you have held a paid
    position or served in a formal or official advisory position (whether
    compensated or not) in a political campaign within the past ten years,
    identify the particulars of the campaign, including the candidate, year
    of the campaign, and your title and responsibilities. None.
        15. Itemize all political contributions to any individual, campaign
    organization, political party, political action committee, or similar
    entity of $200 or more for the past ten years.

    Trump 47 Committee (October 8, 2024)--$600

       The FEC website lists this donation twice, once under
            ``Trump 47 Committee, Inc.'' and again under ``Never Surrender,
            Inc.'' However, I made a single $600 donation to the Trump 47
            Committee on Oct. 8, 2024.
    Trump National Committee (July 17, 2024)--$1800

       The FEC website breaks this single $1800 donation into
            multiple entries: one for ``Trump National Committee JFC,
            Inc.'' and separate donations to ``Never Surrender, Inc.''
            ($1620) and the ``Republican National Committee'' ($180). I
            only made a single $1800 donation to the Trump National
            Committee on July 17, 2024.

    Additional donations on July 13, 2024

       The FEC website also lists donations totaling $1800 on July
            13, 2024. These included a $180 donation to the Republican
            National Committee and a $1620 donation to Never Surrender. I
            mistakenly made these donations under my maiden name (Arielle
            Rabinovitch) and cancelled them immediately after realizing the
            error.

        16. List all scholarships, fellowships, honorary degrees, honorary
    society memberships, military medals, and any other special recognition
    for outstanding service or achievements.

       Koch Summer Fellow (2010)

       High Distinction, University of Toronto (2008)

        17. List all books, articles, columns, letters to the editor,
    Internet blog postings, or other publications you have authored,
    individually or with others. Include a link to each publication when
    possible. If a link is not available, provide a digital copy of the
    publication when available.

            ``Turning Down the Heat on Net Neutrality: A View from Our
            Northern Neighbor,'' Arielle Roth (July 15, 2017), https://
            www.hudson.org/economics/turning-down-the-heat-on-net-
            neutrality-a-view-from-our-northern-neighbor

            ``The Disingenuous Campaign Against Media Consolidation,''
            Arielle Roth, Washington Examiner (June 2, 2017), https://
            www.hudson.org/economics/the-disingenuous-campaign-against-
            media-consolidation

            ``Corrosive Legal Uncertainty Remains after DC Circuit's
            Rehearing Denial in `Net Neutrality' Case,'' Arielle Roth,
            Washington Legal Foundation Legal Pulse (May 12, 2017), https:/
            /www.hudson.org/economics/corrosive-legal-uncertainty-remains-
            after-dc-circuit-s-rehearing-denial-in-net-neutrality-case

            ``A Communications Reform Priority: Curtailing FCC Ancillary
            Jurisdiction Under Telecom Act Sec. 706,'' Arielle Roth,
            Washington Legal Foundation Critical Issues Working Paper
            Series (Feb. 2017), https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.hudson.org/
            files/publications/201702RothW P.pdf

            ``How a Trump FCC Could Deregulate the Communications Sector,''
            Harold Furchtgott-Roth and Arielle Roth, Forbes Online (Nov.
            10, 2016), https://www.hudson.org/economics/how-a-trump-fcc-
            could-deregulate-the-communications-sector

            ``Sixth Circuit Protects Federalism from an Overreaching
            Federal Communications Commission,'' Harold Furchtgott-Roth and
            Arielle Roth, Washington Legal Foundation Legal Pulse (Aug. 18,
            2016), https://www.hudson.org/economics/sixth-circuit-protects-
            federalism-from-an-overreaching-federal-communications-
            commission

            ``Three Issues to Watch as the FCC Writes Privacy Rules for
            Broadband Companies,'' Arielle Roth, American Bar Association
            Administrative and Regulatory Law News (Aug. 15, 2016), https:/
            /www.hudson.org/economics/three-issues-to-watch-as-the-fcc-
            writes-privacy-rules-for-broadband-companies

            ``How the FCC's Proposed Privacy Rules Would Create a False
            Sense of Consumer Privacy,'' Harold Furchtgott-Roth and Arielle
            Roth, Forbes Online (March 31, 2016), https://www.hudson.org/
            economics/how-the-fcc-s-proposed-privacy-rules-would-create-a-
            false-sense-of-consumer-privacy

            ``Why the FCC's Proposed Privacy Rules Would Hurt Consumers,''
            Harold Furchtgott-Roth and Arielle Roth, Forbes Online (March
            14, 2016), https://www.hudson.org/economics/why-the-fcc-s-
            proposed-privacy-rules-would-hurt-consumers

            ``How the FCC Betrayed America's Faith in the Rule of Law,''
            Harold Furchtgott-Roth and Arielle Roth, Forbes Online (March
            2, 2016), https://www.hudson.org/economics/how-the-fcc-
            betrayed-america-s-faith-in-the-rule-of-law

            ``Tim Cook's Sleight of Hand,'' Harold Furchtgott-Roth and
            Arielle Roth, Forbes Online (Feb. 24, 2016), https://
            www.hudson.org/national-security-defense/tim-cook-s-sleight-of-
            hand

            ``Answering Four Questions on the Anniversary of the
            Telecommunications Act of 1996,'' Harold Furchtgott-Roth and
            Arielle Roth, Federal Communications Law Journal (Feb. 12,
            2016), http://www.fclj.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/68.1.2-
            HFR-Comment.pdf

            ``Racial Diversity Lawsuit Exposes Lawless FCC,'' Arielle Roth,
            CapX (Feb. 8, 2016), https://www.hudson.org/economics/racial-
            diversity-lawsuit-exposes-lawless-fcc

            ``Net Neutrality's Religious Freedom Problem,'' Arielle Roth,
            CapX (Jan. 12, 2016), https://www.hudson.org/technology/net-
            neutrality-s-religious-freedom-problem

            ``Why Mark Zuckerberg Should Beware of the FCC,'' Harold
            Furchtgott-Roth and Arielle Roth, Forbes Online (Dec. 11,
            2015), https://www.hudson.org/economics/why-mark-zuckerberg-
            should-beware-of-the-fcc

            ``Why ISIS Celebrates the FCC's Network Neutrality Rules,''
            Harold Furchtgott-Roth and Arielle Roth, CapX (Dec. 4, 2015),
            https://www.hudson.org/national-security-defense/why-isis-
            celebrates-the-fcc-s-network-neutrality-rules

            ``FCC Should Not Remain Silent on Berkeley's Junk-Science
            Wireless Warnings,'' Harold Furchtgott-Roth and Arielle Roth,
            Washington Legal Foundation Legal Pulse (Oct. 9, 2015), https:/
            /www.hudson.org/technology/fcc-should-not-remain-silent-on-
            berkeley-s-junk-science-wireless-warnings

            ``Constitutional Challenges to Dodd-Frank,'' Arielle
            Rabinovitch, the Antitrust Bulletin (Dec. 1, 2013), https://
            journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0003
            603X1305800406?journalCode=abxa

        18. List all speeches, panel discussions, and presentations (e.g.,
    PowerPoint) that you have given on topics relevant to the position for
    which you have been nominated. Include a link to each publication when
    possible. If a link is not available, provide a digital copy of the
    speech or presentation when available.

    Mobile World Congress, Wireless Leadership on the Hill: Panel (Oct. 8,
    2024)

       Panelist

       Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6chxilRKKE

    Federalist Society, ``The Broadband Economy--$42 Billion Infusion and a
    Newly-Minted Biden FCC: What lies ahead?'' (June 11, 2024)

       Panelist

       Video: https://fedsoc.org/events/the-broadband-economy-42-
            billion-infusion-and
            -a-newly-minted-biden-fcc-what-lies-ahead

    Federalist Society, ``Consumers' Research v. FCC and the Legality of
    the Universal Service Fund Contribution Regime'' (July 19, 2022)

       Moderated panel discussion

       Video: https://fedsoc.org/events/consumers-research-v-fcc-
            and-the-legality-of-the
            -universal-service-fund-contribution-regime

    NTCA Telecom Executive Policy Summit, FCC Staff Panel Discussion (Nov.
    18, 2019)

       Panelist

       Recording not available.

        19. List all public statements you have made during the past ten
    years, including statements in news articles and radio and podcasts and
    television appearances, which are on topics relevant to the position
    for which you have been nominated, including dates. Include a link to
    each statement when possible. If a link is not available, provide a
    digital copy of the statement when available.
        To my knowledge, I have not made any public statements that fit
    this category.
        20. List all digital platforms (including social media and other
    digital content sites) on which you currently or have formerly operated
    an account, regardless of whether or not the account was held in your
    name or an alias. Include the full name of an ``alias'' or ``handle'',
    including the complete URL and username with hyperlinks, you have used
    on each of the named platforms. Indicate whether the account is active,
    deleted, or dormant. Include a link to each account if possible.

            X: @ArielleRoth, https://x.com/ArielleRoth (active)

            Facebook: Arielle Roth, https://www.facebook.com/
            arielle.roth.9/ (active)

            Instagram: ariellerabroth, https://www.instagram.com/
            ariellerabroth (active)

            LinkedIn: Arielle Roth, https://www.linkedin.com/in/arielle-
            roth-868b8522 (active)

        21. Please identify each instance in which you have testified
    orally or in writing before Congress in a governmental or non-
    governmental capacity and specify the date, committee, and subject
    matter of each testimony.
        I have never testified orally or in writing before Congress.
        22. Given the current mission, major programs, and major
    operational objectives of the department/agency/commission/corporation
    to which you have been nominated, what in your background or employment
    experience do you believe affirmatively qualifies you for appointment
    to the position for which you have been nominated, and why do you wish
    to serve in that position?
        Having served in senior roles in Congress and the FCC over the past
    decade, I bring significant experience and understanding of the policy
    issues facing our Nation today with respect to broadband connectivity,
    spectrum policy, and technological innovation. As Assistant Secretary
    of Commerce for Communications and Information, I would be honored to
    promote connectivity and free expression, advance U.S. technology
    leadership, and protect the interests of taxpayers.
        23. What do you believe are your responsibilities, if confirmed, to
    ensure that the department/agency/commission/corporation has proper
    management and accounting controls, and what experience do you have in
    managing a large organization?
        If confirmed, I will work to ensure that NTIA operates efficiently
    and effectively to protect the interests of American taxpayers,
    including by promptly addressing recommendations and deficiencies
    identified by the Inspector General of the Department of Commerce and
    the Government Accountability Office. I believe that my experience with
    the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
    managing staff and balancing the interests of members and outside
    parties with business before the Committee, will help me lead the
    agency effectively.
        24. What do you believe to be the top three challenges facing the
    department/agency/commission/corporation, and why?

      1.  Finishing the job of connecting all Americans to broadband
            internet: Congress allocated a historic amount of funding to
            NTIA in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to connect
            Americans to broadband and it is incumbent on the agency to
            ensure that this funding is spent effectively, consistent with
            the law as written by Congress.

      2.  Unlocking the potential of our Nation's spectrum resources while
            protecting national security: As the President's primary
            advisor on spectrum, strong leadership from NTIA is key to our
            Nation's economic prosperity, technology leadership, and
            security.

      3.  Restoring America's leadership at international
            telecommunications standard-setting bodies: NTIA has a critical
            role to play in developing U.S. positions at the International
            Telecommunications Union and World Radiocommunication
            Conference and ensuring international spectrum decisions are
            driven by U.S. interests--not those of our adversaries.
                       b. potential conflicts of interest
        1. Describe all financial arrangements, deferred compensation
    agreements, and other continuing dealings with business associates,
    clients, or customers. Please include information related to retirement
    accounts, such as a 401(k) or pension plan.
        I have no such financial arrangements, deferred compensation
    agreements, or other continuing dealings with business associates,
    clients, or customers. My only pension arrangements are through my
    Federal government service.
        2. Do you have any commitments or agreements, formal or informal,
    to maintain employment, affiliation, or practice with any business,
    association, or other organization during your appointment? If so,
    please explain. None.
        3. Indicate any investments, obligations, liabilities, or other
    relationships which could involve potential conflicts of interest in
    the position to which you have been nominated. Explain how you will
    resolve each potential conflict of interest.
        In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted with
    the U.S. Office of Government Ethics and the Department of Commerce's
    Designated Agency Ethics Official to identify potential conflicts of
    interest. If confirmed, any potential conflicts of interest will be
    resolved in accordance with the terms of the ethics agreement I have
    entered into with the Department's Designated Agency Ethics Official.
        4. Describe any business relationship, dealing, or financial
    transaction which you have had during the last ten years, whether for
    yourself, on behalf of a client, or acting as an agent, that could in
    any way constitute or result in a possible conflict of interest in the
    position to which you have been nominated. Explain how you will resolve
    each potential conflict of interest.
        In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted with
    the U.S. Office of Government Ethics and the Department of Commerce's
    Designated Agency Ethics Official to identify potential conflicts of
    interest. If confirmed, any potential conflicts of interest will be
    resolved in accordance with the terms of the ethics agreement I have
    entered into with the Department's Designated Agency Ethics Official.
        5. Identify any other potential conflicts of interest and explain
    how you will resolve each potential conflict of interest.
        I am not aware of any other potential conflicts of interest.
        6. Describe any activity during the past ten years, including the
    names of clients represented, in which you have been engaged for the
    purpose of directly or indirectly influencing the passage, defeat, or
    modification of any legislation or affecting the administration and
    execution of law or public policy.
        None, except in my role as a Congressional staffer.
                                c. legal matters
        1. Have you ever been disciplined or cited for a breach of ethics,
    professional misconduct, or retaliation by, or been the subject of a
    complaint to, any court, administrative agency, the Office of Special
    Counsel, an Inspector General, professional association, disciplinary
    committee, or other professional group? No.
        If yes:

      a.  Provide the name of the court, agency, association, committee, or
            group;

      b.  Provide the date the citation, disciplinary action, complaint, or
            personnel action was issued or initiated;

      c.  Describe the citation, disciplinary action, complaint, or
            personnel action;

      d.  Provide the results of the citation, disciplinary action,
            complaint, or personnel action.

        2. Have you ever been investigated, arrested, charged, or held by
    any Federal, State, or other law enforcement authority of any Federal,
    State, county, municipal, or foreign government entity, other than for
    a minor traffic offense? If so, please explain. No.
        3. Have you or any business or nonprofit of which you are or were
    an officer ever been involved as a party in an administrative agency
    proceeding, criminal proceeding, or civil litigation? If so, please
    explain. No.
        4. Have you ever been convicted (including pleas of guilty or nolo
    contendere) of any criminal violation other than a minor traffic
    offense? If so, please explain. No.
        5. Have you ever been accused, formally or informally, of sexual
    assault, sexual harassment, or discrimination on the basis of sex,
    race, religion, or any other basis? If so, please explain. No.
        6. Please advise the Committee of any additional information,
    favorable or unfavorable, which you feel should be disclosed in
    connection with your nomination. None.
                         d. relationship with committee
        1. Will you ensure that your department/agency/commission/
    corporation complies with deadlines for information set by
    congressional committees, and that your department/agency/commission/
    corporation endeavors to timely comply with requests for information
    from individual Members of Congress, including requests from members in
    the minority?
        If confirmed, I would work diligently with my staff to ensure
    compliance with deadlines and requests for information.
        2. Will you ensure that your department/agency/commission/
    corporation does whatever it can to protect congressional witnesses and
    whistleblowers from reprisal for their testimony and disclosures? Yes.
        3. Will you cooperate in providing the Committee with requested
    witnesses, including technical experts and career employees, with
    firsthand knowledge of matters of interest to the Committee? Yes.
        4. Are you willing to appear and testify before any duly
    constituted committee of the Congress on such occasions as you may be
    reasonably requested to do so? Yes.
                                     ______

                                  Attachment A

        Chairman Cruz. Before you are excused, Senator Blunt, I
    will say the Ranking Member asked if you also wore a pink tie
    to be in complete harmony.
        Senator Blunt. It is sort of pink. It is almost coordinated
    with the group. I am impressed by this coordination of the
    group myself.
        Chairman Cruz. Well, thank you. All right, we will start
    with questioning.
        As I noted in my opening statement, your extensive policy
    experience is impressive and makes you eminently qualified to
    lead NTIA. I appreciate your many years of public service,
    including your very hard work as a part of my team here on this
    Committee.
        Why don't we start with this. Why do you want to be the
    Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and
    Information?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. Expanding access to
    communications and technology is extremely meaningful work. It
    has lifted people out of poverty. It has fostered innovation.
    It has expanded opportunities for speech and information. NTIA
    has an incredible opportunity to deliver on these goals through
    broadband, through spectrum, as well as through advising the
    President on Internet policy. I intend to ensure that NTIA
    succeeds in these missions.
        Chairman Cruz. As you noted, the NTIA is the lead agency
    for managing Federal spectrum, including critical midband
    spectrum. Over the past several years, Majority Leader Thune,
    Senator Blackburn, and I have collaborated on a bill that would
    require NTIA to identify a clear pipeline of midband spectrum
    that can be used more efficiently, and following feasibility
    studies and established processes, allow for commercial use. To
    lead the world in 5G and 6G, to bolster our economy, and to
    ensure that it is America and not China that sets the
    technology standards of the future, we must expand commercial
    access to midband spectrum.
        Will you commit to working closely with me and with this
    Committee to expand commercial sector access to spectrum while,
    at the same time, protecting U.S. national security interests?
        Ms. Roth. Absolutely, Senator. National security needs to
    be paramount in any discussion over expanding access to
    spectrum. I am optimistic that by working together, we have the
    brightest minds in the country, we can find a path forward to
    advance our international technology leadership while
    protecting national security.
        Chairman Cruz. As you know, President Trump has called for
    the United States to have its own Iron Dome missile defense
    system. The Defense Department says they need every ounce of
    spectrum that they currently occupy and they cannot coexist
    with commercial users and their vast spectrum holdings,
    particularly if they need to build an Iron Dome system. What is
    your judgment? Can DoD build an Iron Dome and coexist with
    commercial spectrum users?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. First, at the outset, I thank
    God for the Iron Dome system. I have family in Israel, and it
    has saved their lives. So I would never do anything to
    jeopardize our ability to develop such a system here at home.
        And I am optimistic that by working together, we have some
    of the brightest minds of this country working on spectrum,
    working on feasibility studies, that we can find a way forward
    and have such a system at home without endangering national
    security.
        Chairman Cruz. As you know, NTIA administers the BEAD
    program, a $42 billion broadband deployment program, authorized
    by Congress, under the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs
    Act. During the last administration, NTIA saddled BEAD with a
    variety of extraneous and burdensome requirements. As a result,
    after nearly 4 years, not a single American household has been
    connected to the internet.
        In a departing screed to his colleagues, Biden's head of
    BEAD claimed that climate, labor, and other requirements,
    quote, ``were inserted by the prior administration for
    messaging political purposes, and were never central to the
    mission of the program.'' I agree. They were never central to
    the mission. But it appears that the Biden mission was to avoid
    connecting even a single American household, to which I say
    mission accomplished. That is over now.
        Will you commit to working closely with this Committee to
    remove these extraneous requirements and refocus the BEAD
    program on its actual purpose, which is connecting Americans to
    broadband in a cost-effective and timely manner?
        Ms. Roth. Yes, Senator. At the outset, I want the BEAD
    program to be a success. I want to connect every remaining
    American who currently lacks access to high-speed Internet as
    expeditiously, efficiently, and effectively as possible. I
    believe that we can deliver on this goal, and I am committed to
    it.
        Chairman Cruz. Now, some in the media, and some perhaps
    even in this room, want to convince the American people that
    fixing BEAD is part of some dark and sinister plot to benefit
    Elon Musk, by opening up the program to Starlink. And I would
    put the former head of BEAD in that camp, as well. Yet
    rightsizing BEAD may involve removing the thumb on the scale
    that the Biden administration placed in favor of fiber, and
    doing so is simply following the law as Congress wrote it.
        BEAD was written to be tech neutral. America is a big
    country. While fiber might make sense in some areas, hybrid
    fiber, fixed wireless, and yes, even satellite-based Internet
    might be a smarter choice in other areas. That is not grift; it
    is good government. It is basic common sense.
        Americans have waited long enough to get connected. It is
    time to do it, and we must use every tool in the kit to get
    broadband deployed as quickly and efficiently as possible. Will
    you commit to overseeing the BEAD program with an eye toward
    deploying broadband without favor to any particular technology,
    individual, or company?
        Ms. Roth. Absolutely, Senator. If I am confirmed, my
    mission will be to deliver broadband to the American people,
    not to serve any individual or company.
        Chairman Cruz. Thank you. Ranking Member Cantwell.
        Senator Cantwell. I am going to defer to my colleague,
    Senator Klobuchar.
        Chairman Cruz. OK. Senator Klobuchar.

                   STATEMENT OF HON. AMY KLOBUCHAR,
                      U.S. SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA

        Senator Klobuchar. Thank you. Thank you very much. Welcome,
    Ms. Roth. I enjoyed our discussion in the car as I was driving
    around Minnesota last week, and I have especially enjoyed your
    very well-behaved kids. I note that your son asserting his
    independence with reading the book the entire time, with some
    memory of my own daughter at that age, except she would sit in
    the front row. I would be giving a speech, and she would read
    the book like this.
        [Holds book up to her face.]
        [Laughter.]
        Senator Klobuchar. So you have accomplished much that that
    is not happening.
        I did enjoy working with you. I know you worked with our
    staff on not just the Low-Power Protection Act but also Brand
    USA with Senator Blunt, the STURDY Act, as well as all the work
    that we did on travel and tourism. So thank you for that.
        I wanted to follow up on some of the questions on the
    broadband bill. I never really liked that BEAD name. I just
    call it the broadband bill. And I know that my state and many
    others have invested a lot of energy and capital in complying
    with the current rules, as they should do, and that we do not
    want to start from scratch. We do not want to delay this
    anymore. And we just are worried that anything that would make
    it more disruptive would be problematic. And if confirmed, how
    will you ensure that states, including Minnesota, can proceed
    with their broadband plans as expeditiously as possible?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. I realize there was one other
    vote we worked on together, Virginia Graeme Baker.
        Senator Klobuchar. Oh, that was a big deal, on the swimming
    pools. It actually saved a lot of lives, yes. Yes, that was a
    big deal.
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. If I am honored to be
    confirmed, my primary objective would be to get broadband
    buildout to every last American as expeditiously as possible. I
    think that it has been more than 3 years since the IIJA was
    passed. I think there is frustration that we have not made
    significant progress in getting shovels in the ground. We do
    not have a single location connected yet. I want to solve that,
    and I want to get broadband to everyone in America and every
    single one of your constituents.
        Senator Klobuchar. OK. Very good. I understand the desire
    to strip out any needless requirements from the programs, but
    we must not, in the words of one of the people in the last
    administration dealing with this, ``strip away from states the
    flexibility to get the best connections for their people.''
        If confirmed, would you implement a spending cap on the
    program, and if so, at what thresholds would you set it?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. I agree that we should be
    stripping out red tape and bureaucracy of the program to get
    the program on track and expedited. In terms of a spending cap,
    I would want to speak with NTIA's distinguished career staff to
    know what, if any, authority NTIA has. I would want to confer
    with NTIA distinguished career staff.
        Senator Klobuchar. OK. Universal Service Fund, we talked
    about this one the phone. I care a lot about this. Senator
    Thune and I have done some work on this together. Supreme Court
    just had their arguments on this. I will not ask you to predict
    what happens, but it appeared there was some concern about
    throwing out the fund.
        As we discussed, we have to continue to ensure that we
    maximize Federal resources dedicated to expanding broadband
    access. I have been working across the aisle to strengthen
    funding mechanisms for USF, which allows for providers to
    connect the most hard-to-reach areas to high-speed internet. If
    confirmed, would you work with me and others on the Committee
    to expand the funding base for universal service?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. NTIA does not administer the
    USF. That is the domain of the FCC. Of course, there is a lot
    of overlap between broadband programs----
        Senator Klobuchar. Exactly.
        Ms. Roth--and I look forward to working the FCC on the goal
    of delivering broadband to all Americans and coordinating our
    efforts. And I would be happy to work with you on any efforts
    in that domain.
        Senator Klobuchar. OK. Last, I know the Chairman asked you
    about the spectrum funds. I chair the 911 Caucus, and am co-
    chair of it. And I have led legislation with Senator Cortez
    Masto to modernize America's 911 system, for obvious reasons.
    People are no longer just dialing in from landlines and they
    want to send photos, people want to get--firefighters get
    pictures of burning buildings on their phones so they can be
    safer in the specs and which part they enter in a building.
        Do you believe Congress could leverage spectrum auctions to
    help modernize our 911 infrastructure?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. As a parent who has had to
    dial 911 before, and God forbid everything was OK and I only
    had to do it once, I know how important it is to have properly
    working 911 infrastructure. I know there are challenges in
    rural areas. I would be happy to work with you. Ultimately,
    Congress decides where spectrum auction proceeds go.
        Senator Klobuchar. OK. Thank you.
        Chairman Cruz. Thank you.
        Senator Klobuchar. Thank you, Senator Cantwell.
        Chairman Cruz. Senator Baldwin.

                   STATEMENT OF HON. TAMMY BALDWIN,
                      U.S. SENATOR FROM WISCONSIN

        Senator Baldwin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking
    Member. Ms. Roth, it was lovely to meet with you and talk about
    your vision for NTIA. I want to start by talking about the BEAD
    program also. It was established in the Bipartisan
    Infrastructure Law, and NTIA and all 50 states have been
    working to implement BEAD to bridge the digital divide in the
    United States.
        I was proud to help work to make sure that Wisconsin
    received an adequate sum. We received an award of slightly
    north of $1.1 billion in BEAD funding to expand access to high-
    quality, high-speed internet. Just last month, Wisconsin ended
    the application period for the first round of BEAD funding, and
    we are very excited to keep on moving ahead.
        But at the beginning of this month, Commerce Secretary
    Lutnick announced a rigorous review, as he said, of the BEAD
    program, and I am concerned that this rigorous review could
    slow down our progress to deliver broadband access. So as
    Administrator, will you commit to ensuring that states are able
    to continue to move forward with approved BEAD plans without
    interference from this new Administration?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator, and thank you for meeting
    with me. If confirmed, my goal with the BEAD program would be
    to get broadband to every last unserved American as
    expeditiously as possible. I would hope that any review of the
    BEAD program would be done quickly, with an eye to expediting
    deployment. It is not just about expediting paperwork,
    expediting funding, but ultimately expediting deployment. And
    if there are ways that we can expedite that shovels-in-the-
    ground side of the program, I would want to find such ways.
        Senator Baldwin. Thank you. Our Chairman asked you a little
    bit about administering BEAD without favor to any particular
    technology or company, and I would like to inquire a little bit
    more deeply. Because the Secretary has talked about this
    rigorous review of BEAD, and there is some indication that
    there may be suggestions to give more favor to satellite
    technology in terms of connecting people with high-speed
    internet.
        So how are you going to ensure that you are administering
    this, again without favor to a particular technology or
    company, particularly one that is overseen by somebody who has
    a very outsized role in this Administration, Elon Musk,
    especially if the Secretary is pushing you in that regard?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. If confirmed, as I said to
    Chairman Cruz, if I am fortunate to be confirmed, I will
    administer the program to the benefit of the American people,
    not any single individual or company. I believe that Congress
    wrote the BEAD program legislation in a tech-neutral manner,
    and tech-neutral goes both ways. Like we would not want to have
    only one technology, like fiber, as the only solution, nor
    would a separate technology be the only one that would be
    funded by the program.
        Senator Baldwin. When we met we talked about Buy America
    requirements that are in the BEAD and in the entire Bipartisan
    Infrastructure Law. And I got a chance to tell you a little bit
    about some of the jobs that have been created in Wisconsin
    because of the last administration's action being proactive to
    use our Buy America, Build America rules to bring jobs to the
    United States. Can you commit to enforcing the Buy America
    rules and requirements at NTIA?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. Advancing American
    manufacturing is very important, and if confirmed, I would want
    to find a way forward to deliver on the goal of advancing
    American manufacturing and an America First policy that this
    Administration has supported, with the goal of building out
    broadband as expeditiously as possible, and I would look
    forward to working with your office on this issue.
        Senator Baldwin. And when waivers exist or are sought, what
    approach would you take in reviewing waivers of the Buy America
    requirements?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. I will always abide by the
    law. As I have not been confirmed, I would like to have the
    chance to discuss that with the agency's esteemed experts. But
    I absolutely look forward to working with your office to ensure
    that that process abides by the goals of both Buy America as
    well as the BEAD program.
        Senator Baldwin. Mr. Chairman, I have run out of time.
        Chairman Cruz. Thank you. Senator Kim.
        Senator Kim. Thank you, Chairman.
        Chairman Cruz. Oh, apparently I skipped Senator Moreno. I
    had looked down and it was empty, and you snuck in stealthily.
    I should warn you that the United Kingdom apparently has a
    problem with ninjas, and we may have a ninja on this Committee.
    So Senator Moreno, and then Senator Kim.

                   STATEMENT OF HON. BERNIE MORENO,
                         U.S. SENATOR FROM OHIO

        Senator Moreno. You know, it is, just for the record, proof
    that Cubans and Colombians have a long history of animosity.
        [Laughter.]
        Senator Moreno. I do not blame them. They had a little
    [inaudible] confidence, so it is good. We have better coffee.
    They get very, very upset by that.
        First of all, congratulations. And I thank the staff who is
    sitting around the table, that does enormous amounts of work,
    you put in all the hard hours and you wonder what am I doing. I
    think you are an inspiration to all of them. Despite your
    choice of what Senate office you worked for, congratulations to
    being in that position. It has got to be really cool for you to
    do this. And again, also thank you for being willing to serve
    your country the way you are doing it.
        Just some quick questions. How is NTIA, in your mind,
    ensuring that its broadband investments are not duplicating
    funding from dozens of other Federal programs?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. This is an issue I have
    thought about and worked on, my career in telecom. I think GAO
    reported that there are 130 different broadband programs across
    the Federal Government. Coordination is really important. It
    would be one of my goals, if I am fortunate to be confirmed as
    administrator. I would also welcome the opportunity to work
    with your office on this issue.
        Senator Moreno. OK. And at the last World Radio Conference,
    many criticized the U.S. delegation for disorganization. Many
    say this allowed China to pursue their aims at the conference
    unfettered. As NTIA provides expertise to the delegation, what
    will you do to support the World Radio Conference efforts?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. It a really important issue
    with the World Radio Communication Conference coming up in
    2027. It is two years away, but we need to develop unified
    positions expeditiously. NTIA has a role to play in that. And
    the reason that is important is if we do not develop those
    unified positions, we do not have a seat at the table, our
    adversaries will lead the discussion in favor of their
    equipment makers and manufacturers, potentially to the
    detriment of American equipment makers and manufacturers and
    those that serve America.
        Senator Moreno. Makes sense. And with technologies like
    Starlink rapidly expanding, we are seeing that service
    throughout rural Ohio, dramatically less expensive to put up a
    $200 receive than a $2 million fiber cable up a mountain. Do
    you see that expanding service to remote areas at lower costs
    and faster development times? How is NTIA incorporating non-
    traditional, low-earth, satellite-based solutions into its
    long-term broadband strategy, like I said, especially in these
    hard-to-reach areas?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. Technology has come a very
    long way in delivering broadband. I think Congress wanted a
    technology-neutral approach to the BEAD program. It served our
    country well. It also recognizes that we are a diverse country,
    diverse geographically, and not every solution is going to work
    in every state or every area. And I look forward to, if
    confirmed, ensuring that states have the resources that they
    need to deliver broadband in a manner that serves their
    constituents.
        Senator Moreno. Yes, it would be great to get you to Ohio,
    because we need a lot of parts of rural Ohio connected. We
    would love to get you out there and visit, once you are
    confirmed.
        Last question would be, how does NTIA plan to increase
    engagement with private industry, including competitive
    carriers and nontraditional broadband providers to meet
    deployment goals more efficiently?
        Ms. Roth. Senator, I look forward to delivering on the goal
    of expediting broadband deployment through the BEAD program,
    getting every last American connected. And that includes an
    all-of-the-above solution. I look forward to working with your
    office to achieve that goal.
        Senator Moreno. Perfect. Again, thank you for your
    willingness to serve. You are supremely qualified for the job,
    and I urge all of my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to
    confirm you quickly so we can get you in there to get to work.
        Ms. Roth. Thank you.
        Chairman Cruz. Thank you, Senator Moreno. Now Senator Kim.

                      STATEMENT OF HON. ANDY KIM,
                      U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW JERSEY

        Senator Kim. Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Ms. Roth, for
    coming before us. I actually just wanted to build off of
    something that the Chairman said in his opening remarks. He
    talked about making sure that America, not China, is setting
    the tech standards around the world, especially in the telecom
    space. And I guess I just want to start with a big-picture
    question. How would you characterize U.S. competitiveness right
    now in the telecom space, vis-a-vis China? I just want to get
    your understanding of where that stands right now?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. I think we are in a global
    technology race again China. We need to ensure that we do not
    fall behind, because if we do, that will lead to more
    situations to address like Rip and Replace, Salt Typhoon. We
    desperately need to ensure that we win the global technology
    race, and part of that is ensuring that we have the best and
    fastest broadband networks in the world from which we can build
    innovation and remain the global technology leaders.
        Senator Kim. One of the biggest challenges that we faced
    and saw in recent years was just China's aggressiveness when it
    came to 5G, in terms of the deployment of Huawei around the
    world. What do you think are the lessons that we should have
    been taking away from that, and how would you, in this job, try
    to make sure that we are pushing forward and thinking about how
    to strengthen American innovation at a time of such
    competitiveness?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. I think there are a lot of
    ways we can do that, ensuring that our spectrum policy is as
    efficient as possible so that we can have the best wireless
    innovation in the world. And it is also ensuring that all
    Americans have access to digital opportunities, and delivering
    on the requirements of the BEAD program is one way to do that.
        Senator Kim. One of the things that we were able to move
    forward on is this $1.5 billion Public Wireless Supply Chain
    Innovation Fund, that is at NTIA. I just wanted to ask, I am
    not sure if you have really thought this through in terms of
    what your vision would be in terms of that particular fund. It
    is something that I have been very interested in, in terms of
    how we can use this to potentially scale up, you know, trusted
    telecommunications supplies, and not just in the United States
    but abroad. I just wanted to see if you have given that some
    thought so far?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. Yes, supply chain security is
    very important in winning the global technology race. I am very
    familiar with that program and the goals of that program,
    combatting Huawei and ensuring that our networks are safe. And
    I look forward to abiding by the law. That program was signed
    into law, and if I am confirmed, I look forward to working on
    it with you and your office.
        Senator Kim. Look, one thing to keep an eye out, if you are
    confirmed here, is there has been talk about what is the future
    of the CHIPS and Science Act, and this particular fund was one
    that came through that legislation. So I do have concerns in
    terms of about what the future is of that type of innovative
    spur that we are trying to unleash. So that is something I just
    wanted to flag for you. And just in general, just thinking
    about how we can increase our competitiveness, our innovation,
    but also better protecting ourselves to try to prevent foreign
    adversaries from being able to exploit our U.S.
    telecommunications networks as well as the supply chains, as
    you mentioned. So that is something I am hopeful we are able to
    work together on.
        The last thing I just wanted to flag, switching gears. I am
    the father of a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old. I see your
    beautiful family here, as well. The Chairman mentioned in his
    opening remarks that you have been instrumental in thinking
    about protecting privacy for kids, with the work on this
    Committee. I guess I wanted to just ask for your thoughts here.
    Can you speak to how you will try to advance that sense of
    privacy for our children with the work you do as Assistant
    Secretary?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. I agree. Privacy is
    incredibly important. NTIA does not have a regulatory role on
    privacy. NTIA is an advisor to the President on----
        Senator Kim. What do you think the President should focus
    in on when it comes to privacy for kids?
        Ms. Roth. Senator, I am not at the agency yet and I would
    like to have a chance to figure out what the agency is working
    on, speaking to the distinguished career staff. But it is
    certainly an issue that I would want to work on, and I would
    look forward to working with your office.
        Senator Kim. Yes, look, as I said, if confirmed, I hope
    this is something that we can really lift up. I think a lot of
    parents are just beside themselves right now, and just would
    like to see some strong action. And I think having a young mom
    taking the charge on this, I think that would be a really
    strong signal to this country.
        Thanks a lot. And with that I yield back.
        Chairman Cruz. Thank you. Senator Blunt Rochester.

                STATEMENT OF HON. LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER,
                       U.S. SENATOR FROM DELAWARE

        Senator Blunt Rochester. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank
    you, Ranking Member Cantwell. Welcome, Ms. Roth, to you and
    your family, and congratulations on your upcoming new family
    member. I thought I was going to be the last one to speak so
    that we did not have any breaking news here today, but more are
    coming in.
        I just wanted to kind of pick up where a lot of my
    colleagues left off on the BEAD program and just how you can
    tell from the fact that across the aisle everyone is very much
    interested in making sure that our country is connected. In
    Delaware, we set a goal to become the first state in the Nation
    to be fully connected to high-speed Internet with the funding
    from the BEAD program, and we will be able to accomplish that
    goal with this program. And I hope I can count on you.
        I have heard you say, and commit it to others, as well,
    that you will expeditiously turn this goal into a reality and
    commit to the funding being received as quickly as possible,
    particularly because Delaware, Louisiana, and Nevada are three
    states that actually have gone through all the steps. We are
    right there, completed the whole process, and NTIA actually
    approved our plan to connect many of the underserved households
    and businesses in our state. And that was approved at the
    beginning of this year.
        So I just wanted to again encourage you, as one of your
    first opportunities to make sure particularly those plans that
    have been approved, that you will take a look at them. Can I
    get that commitment?
        Ms. Roth. Absolutely. One of my priorities, if confirmed as
    NTIA Administrator, would be to get broadband to every single
    American as expeditiously as possible.
        Senator Blunt Rochester. Thank you. And many of the states,
    we have submitted these plans but we are different. We are
    diverse. We crafted those plans based on experts in our states
    and local municipalities. And we hope that you will be
    considering the uniqueness of those. Some of the
    characteristics might just be our terrain, whether it is
    skyscrapers or mountains, whether it is forests or farms, we
    are different.
        So will you commit to allowing states with approved plans
    to choose the broadband delivery technology that works best for
    their individual situations?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. I certainly recognize that we
    have a diverse country with diverse geography, and a one-size-
    fits-all solution does not necessarily make sense. That is why
    we need an all-of-the-above solution to delivering broadband,
    and I look forward to working with your office on that.
        Senator Blunt Rochester. Thank you so much. I want to turn
    to the Digital Equity Act, which as you know was part of the
    Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act. More and more we are
    seeing technology be prevalent in our lives. I mean, literally,
    whether it is the doctor, whether it is the school classroom,
    it is really important that we have digital literacy and that
    we bridge the digital divide.
        Our HBCU, Delaware State University, was one of the
    organizations that received funding for high-speed Internet
    access for training and workforce development related to
    digital literacy. But we also have our Department of Labor that
    would provide IT training, as well. They are still waiting on
    their funding.
        Will you commit to supporting this program, as enacted?
        Ms. Roth. Senator, in the Infrastructure, Investment, and
    Jobs Act, Congress committed to ensuring that broadband
    Internet is affordable for all Americans, and that Americans
    have the resources and skills they need to connect. I will
    abide by the law.
        Senator Blunt Rochester. Great. Thank you. A definition
    that was in that Act, of the covered populations, for some has
    included controversy. But I just want to clarify that in the
    law it is low-income, seniors, veterans, people with
    disabilities, and people in rural America. And I think that is
    really important, because all of us are affected by this. Our
    ability to shop, our ability to even read and go to school, as
    I said, is really important. So I am glad that you are
    committed to this.
        And then, last, I would love to shift to cybersecurity. In
    the 9 seconds I have I will ask a question for the record. But
    this, too, is also a priority for us, and I am looking to,
    should you be confirmed, to work with you on this issue, as
    well, particularly around the wor force, because I think that
    is a huge issue for us.
        So thank you, and I yield back.
        Chairman Cruz. Thank you. Senator Markey.

                   STATEMENT OF HON. EDWARD MARKEY,
                    U.S. SENATOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS

        Senator Markey. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is good to see
    you again, Ms. Roth.
        Along with the $42.5 billion that Congress provided for the
    broadband program known as BEAD, we also provided nearly $3
    billion to help ensure all Americans have the skills and the
    knowledge to participate in the online world. Those funds are
    critical to ensure that all Americans can benefit from the
    digital revolution. In Massachusetts, for example, residents
    express difficulties finding jobs online and obtaining other
    important services. This funding will help close those gaps.
        Ms. Roth, if confirmed, will you commit to fulfilling
    NTIA's legal obligation to provide the money authorized and
    appropriated by Congress for this program?
        Ms. Roth. Senator, I will always abide by the law, and also
    thank you so much for meeting with me in your office. It was
    such an honor to meet with someone who has had such an
    influence on my career with so many pieces of legislation that
    you authored in the telecom sector. Thank you.
        Senator Markey. Thank you, and I am glad I got to help to
    provide employment for you and so many others at the Federal
    Communications Commission over the years.
        [Laughter.]
        Senator Markey. And thank you for that. I am glad to hear
    that. Many of my colleagues have raised the Trump
    administration's ongoing review of the BEAD program and the
    impact of any potential changes of the program. Massachusetts
    has been allocated $147 million in BEAD funding, and began
    accepting applications from providers in January. Just
    yesterday, Arkansas announced results from their second round
    of their application process. Other states are in a similar
    position.
        Given the Commerce Department's review, should states just
    stop accepting applications and indefinitely pause their
    program, and just save the money?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. As I have not been confirmed
    yet I have not had a chance to confer with NTIA's career staff,
    and I have not been involved in the review process. I would
    hope that any review conducted by NTIA is expeditious with the
    goal of expediting buildout.
        Senator Markey. Yes, well, will you commit to a quick
    timeline for when the review will be complete?
        Ms. Roth. As I have not been confirmed, I am not in a
    position to commit to a specific timeline, but I will commit
    that my goal would be a very expeditious timeline.
        Senator Markey. That is great, because I am very worried
    that changes to the program will cause serious delays in
    deploying broadband right as states are ready to get shovels in
    the ground.
        Now I would like to talk about a specific change that the
    Trump administration appears to be pushing for BEAD, turning
    the program into a subsidy for Elon Musk's Starlink. Under the
    guise of making the program, quote, ``technology neutral,'' the
    Trump administration may eliminate the program's preference for
    fiber and make satellite providers like Starlink eligible for
    BEAD funding, in all circumstances.
        Ms. Roth, do you support that change?
        Ms. Roth. Senator, as I said before, I would administer the
    law consistent with the statute, and to the benefit of the
    American people, not for any specific individual or company. I
    do believe that Congress wrote the law in a technology-neutral
    manner, and that means an all-of-the-above solution that
    recognizes different realities across different parts of the
    country.
        Senator Markey. OK. Well, let's be clear. Let's be clear.
    The BEAD program never excluded satellite broadband, but it did
    limit it. It did limit it to areas where fiber was excessively
    expensive. That is in the law. And that is because while
    satellite broadband may be cheaper to deploy in some locations
    in the short term, it costs far more to service and maintain in
    the long run.
        So Ms. Roth, do you agree that fiber is a cheaper
    technology in the long run?
        Ms. Roth. Senator, I would want to confer with NTIA's
    career staff before assessing a specific product or technology.
    And I look forward to working with you to ensure that
    Massachusetts gets what it needs.
        Senator Markey. It is not just Massachusetts. It is the
    whole country.
        Ms. Roth. Absolutely.
        Senator Markey. Because this satellite versus fiber
    question is very central, and according to a Bloomberg article
    yesterday, for example, one state official found that fiber
    would save households $15,600 over a 30-year period. And I ask
    that article be included in the record, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cruz. Without objection.
        [The information referred to follows:]

        Senator Markey. So, Mr. Roth, I strongly urge you to oppose
    this giveaway to Elon Musk and ensure that the BEAD program
    delivers for all Americans, and that we not adopt a more costly
    approach, because that surely will drain the funding that could
    have been used more efficiently.
        So I thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.
        Chairman Cruz. I thank the Senator from Massachusetts, and
    I would note that in 4 years the Biden administration managed
    to connect zero households with the $42 billion that Congress
    gave them. And one of the reasons was the Biden administration,
    I think, engaged in petulant and partisan politics by
    blacklisting Elon Musk and Starlink, which is technology that
    could have connected particularly households in distant rural
    places. And I think it was purely partisan.
        And I would note we saw this underscored just last week,
    when two American astronauts finally came back from the
    International Space Station, when SpaceX flew them back, and
    Elon offered, months ago, to fly them back. And because the
    Biden administration suffered from Elon Derangement Syndrome,
    they stranded our astronauts in space for many months, rather
    than accept the only ride back that could bring them from the
    Station.
        Senator Markey. If the Senator would yield?
        Chairman Cruz. Sure.
        Senator Markey. I thank you. So, you know, to the extent to
    which the Biden administration did authorize, last July, to
    contract with SpaceX in order to complete that mission, I think
    we should note that it began in the Biden administration.
        And to the extent to which if we do move forward now with
    deployment of the BEAD program, all I am asking, is if that be
    the case, that we just do it in the most efficient way. That is
    something that Elon would want.
        Chairman Cruz. On that we are agreed.
        Senator Markey. And if it is clear that it is fiber and not
    Starlink, that that be the approach which is taken by the
    Administration. Because if we do it that way, we will save more
    money for the consumers over time.
        Let's look forward. Let's look to the future and our
    opportunities----
        Chairman Cruz. You know, I am a pushover when you do your
    JFK impression.
        Senator Markey. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cruz. Senator Hickenlooper.

                 STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN HICKENLOOPER,
                       U.S. SENATOR FROM COLORADO

        Senator Hickenlooper. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Ms.
    Roth. I appreciate the time you spent carved out for us in the
    office.
        Let's start with the Spectrum Relocation Fund. The SRF
    provides funding to the Federal Government to research the
    feasibility of modifying and, if necessary, upgrading Federal
    systems that use spectrum. But it is limited to only
    reimbursing a Federal agency where necessary costs to update a
    system of, quote/unquote, ``comparable capability.'' Now many
    Federal agencies have stated that SRF limits their ability to
    upgrade their systems that use spectrum and continue fulfilling
    their missions.
        So, Ms. Roth, do you believe that SRF could be reformed to
    better incentivize agencies to share or reallocate spectrum?
    Why or why not?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator, and thank you for meeting
    with me in your office. I think we should be trying to find
    efficiencies, where possible, consistent with national
    security. And I am aware of debates over SRF and how to make it
    more effective. It would be an honor to work with your office
    on this issue.
        Senator Hickenlooper. Great. Well, I think that is
    something we are eager to do, and I appreciate your openness to
    that.
        It is my chance to talk about BEAD, as we all do, and
    talked about it a little bit in the office. Obviously, many
    projects, but broadband, especially, saw significant
    investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. And I think
    we believe that improvements can be made that maintain the
    community input but improve the permitting process, again, like
    we have heard from various of us, moving things along.
        What is your view on how NTIA can help states address
    permitting issues that may come up as BEAD projects begin
    construction? As you are aware, Colorado is kind of a model
    child in that sense that we have satellite, we have fiber, and
    then we have normal cell towers.
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. As I said, expediting the
    program, and specifically expediting buildout, would be my
    priority, if confirmed. And permitting is certainly one thing
    that I would want to look at as a potential solution to
    expediting the buildout side. It can also make the deployment
    of broadband less costly, and that is what we want is to get
    the best bang for the taxpayer's buck so that our dollars are
    stretched as far as possible, so that we can deliver broadband
    to all Americans in an expeditious and efficient manner.
        Senator Hickenlooper. I think that is exactly the right
    approach, and there is certainly a backlog. It is a little bit
    like watching the mongoose going through the python. It is kind
    of blocked up for a while, but now hopefully it will start
    going very, very quickly, and get that money spent wisely.
        Again, back to spectrum and a little bit about interagency
    coordination. Many would argue that there is always room for
    improvement when Federal agencies are trying to work together.
    It is not a natural condition of the species. In recent years,
    the FCC and the NTIA updated a memorandum of understanding that
    goes all the way--it was first signed in 2003--it goes all the
    way back relative to planning and coordination of spectrum.
        What are your plans, or how do you see us doing the best
    job to maintain close communications with the FCC to ensure
    that these spectrum decisions are evidence-based and will hold
    up over the long term?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. NTIA has historically
    maintained a close relationship with the FCC. That is something
    I would certainly want to continue, if I am fortunate to be
    confirmed as NTIA administrator. And part of that would be
    certainly reviewing the Memorandum of Understanding. If there
    are improvements to be made in NTIA and FCC's coordination, it
    is something I would be honored to work on.
        Senator Hickenlooper. Great. And then one last question,
    which you will not be able to answer completely. But I think
    relative to your position, assuming that you are confirmed to
    the NTIA, there is a rising tide of issues around AI--AI
    development, the data center growth, how that affects energy
    demand. How would you position NTIA to help facilitate the
    resolution of those challenges?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. AI is very important and
    America's leadership in AI is very important to ensure that we
    remain the global leader in AI and do not cede that leadership
    to our adversaries. I think one way to advance that is through
    expanding spectrum access and finding efficiencies, because AI
    is going to place increased demand on our networks, so any
    efficiencies that we can find consistent with national security
    will, in the long run, protect our country and our global
    technology leadership.
        Senator Hickenlooper. Great. Thank you so much, and I
    appreciate how concise your answers are. If you can run the
    agency that concisely, there will be good things ahead.
        Thank you. I yield back to the Chair.
        Chairman Cruz. Thank you. Senator Peters.

                    STATEMENT OF HON. GARY PETERS,
                       U.S. SENATOR FROM MICHIGAN

        Senator Peters. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ms. Roth, good to
    see you and congratulations on your nomination to serve as the
    Assistant Secretary. And it is nice to see that your family is
    here, as well. It is not easy to corral all of that, but you
    are able to do it, so congratulations.
        I believe that one of our biggest achievements over the
    past few years was indeed the passage of Broadband Equity
    Access and Deployment program, the BEAD Act, which has been
    coming up quite a bit during this hearing. Coming from
    Michigan, this is certainly a critical program. It has been a
    massive undertaking. Michigan has embraced it and believe that
    it will connect everyone with the fastest, most reliable
    Internet possible.
        Right now, Michigan is nearing the end of its procurement
    process to identify providers who will bring broadband to over
    368,000 underserved locations across my state. And I believe we
    cannot move backward with the program. To that end, I have got
    a couple of questions for you, and talk about concise, you can
    answer yes or no. So you can be very concise with it.
        First question is, if confirmed, will you oppose changes to
    the BEAD program that would require states to restart
    subgrantee processes currently underway, something that I would
    believe would lead to over a year of delays. So would you
    oppose those? Yes or no?
        Ms. Roth. Senator, as I have not been confirmed I am not in
    a position to make a specific commitment. I will commit to you
    that I would work to expedite the program as much as possible
    so that Michiganders gain access to broadband as quickly as
    possible.
        Senator Peters. OK. Well, we would want to work with you,
    if confirmed, to make sure that that indeed happens.
        You have previously discussed BEAD program's tech
    neutrality. That neutrality, as you know, is already built into
    the program. Starlink and other satellite Internet companies
    will be eligible to be part of the Michigan procurement
    process. However--and this is a big however--up until now
    states have been able to exercise the judgment as to when they
    can get underserved communities the most reliable, the fastest,
    the most cost-effective Internet possible, which is often fiber
    optics. It depends on the area. It depends on how rural you
    are. A lot of factors. But the states are making those
    decisions, based on the unique characteristics there.
        So my question for you--again, a yes or no would work--if
    confirmed, will you continue to allow states to make a call
    about which technology they believe will best serve the
    communities in their individual states?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. I believe that one of the
    reasons that the BEAD program has been so slow to roll out is
    because of excessive bureaucracy imposed by the Federal
    Government. I would hope that we could remove some of that red
    tape to get the program in a position to deploy as quickly as
    possible.
        Senator Peters. So can I take from that answer you say get
    rid of the red tape, let states make that decision, the Federal
    Government should not insert themselves in that?
        Ms. Roth. If confirmed, I would certainly want to work with
    all the state broadband offices to better understand their
    needs and to ensure that the program is serving the interests
    of each state, and not subjecting them to excessive red tape.
        Senator Peters. So red tape meaning Federal Government
    dictating to a state. You would not want to see that. That does
    not sound like what I am hearing from you. A state should be
    able to decide their own. Correct?
        Ms. Roth. Uh----
        Senator Peters. You can be real concise, yes or no?
        Ms. Roth. I will abide by the law, Senator, to remove
    excessive red tape.
        Senator Peters. OK. As you know, the Bipartisan
    Infrastructure Law allows states to utilize BEAD funds for
    certain non-deployment purposes. I believe it is essential that
    we allow states, again, to maintain this flexibility--I am all
    about states having flexibility--specifically when it comes to
    workforce and digital skills training, but also to allow states
    to ensure that communities that newly have access to broadband
    actually sign up to connect.
        So my question is, if confirmed, will you work to ensure
    states have the broadest possible flexibility in the use of
    these funds--I think I am hearing that when you say you want to
    get rid of red tape. So yes or no, will you work to ensure
    states have the broadest possible flexibility in how they use
    their funds?
        Ms. Roth. Senator, I certainly agree with the goal of
    ensuring that states have what they need in order to get
    broadband to their constituents as quickly as possible. I will
    abide by the law.
        Senator Peters. Very good. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cruz. Thank you. Senator Cantwell.
        Senator Cantwell. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ms. Roth, in
    your testimony you basically said a couple of times you want to
    make sure everybody gets covered. It is not the direct
    responsibility of NTIA, but do you think we should have allowed
    the ACP program to end?
        Ms. Roth. Senator, I have been nominated to NTIA, which did
    not administer the ACP. That was the FCC's role. I agree with
    the goal of ensuring that broadband is affordable to all
    Americans.
        Senator Cantwell. So if you had your preferences you would
    prefer that a program like that, even if it was not ACP, you
    would prefer a program like that existed?
        Ms. Roth. Senator, I have not been confirmed. I do think
    the Administration has taken a position on this. I think
    broadband should be affordable for all Americans. It is
    something that requires an all-of-the-above solution. The
    particular way you go about it is something that I would be
    happy to work with you on.
        Senator Cantwell. Yes. Well, I do think it has been as
    affordable for a segment of the population that is below, let's
    say, $50,000 to $40,000 of income. The studies and analysis
    show they cannot afford it. So I think that is where the gap
    is, and my personal opinion is that is what we should have
    focused on as we were looking at BEAD.
        I do not agree with the critique of the Chairman about the
    BEAD program on the length of time and the deployment, because
    basically instead of letting the FCC, who I also agree was not
    doing a good enough job answering this question, we basically
    said, OK, we are going to take it out of the hands of the FCC,
    and now we are going to give it to states, and now they have to
    set this up, and then they can get the money, and then they can
    start the deployment. And that took longer.
        So I personally thought we should have drilled down on this
    little problem, which is the affordability issue for, you could
    call them late adopters. I call them people who cannot afford
    broadband. And we should have focused more on that as a
    Congress. But our colleagues, who were also frustrated--Maine,
    Alaska, various states--you know, very frustrated, basically
    said oh no, we are just going to get our states involved.
        Well, when states get involved it becomes complex, and I
    also do not agree about the Starlink example of not being
    something to be concerned about, because we had, in our state--
    look, Starlink deployments are very good for particular areas,
    and we could see a lot more competition in the future, so we
    are not even ruling that out.
        But we had decisions made where Tribal areas basically went
    ahead and pushed with the state to get a satellite solution,
    only to find that they had to have a backcall out, that nobody
    had calculated when they made that decision to make that
    commitment to Starlink.
        So I do think we have to have really smart and technical
    people involved in this. I really do think that we have to
    figure out how we are going to get broadband connectivity to
    lower-income Americans, and I hope that you will think about
    this for the record, about how you can commit to that. Because
    even though you are not the core entity, I do think this
    Committee has said, over time, they are kind of tired with us
    not having the solutions and they want NTIA to play a larger
    role. We are not giving you that responsibility, but we are
    saying they do hope that NTIA plays a larger role on broadband,
    in general. And I think that is because they are frustrated.
        So that gets me to the next question about technical
    expertise. You are a policy person, right? I do not know
    everything about your background, but you are mostly a policy
    realm, right?
        Ms. Roth. I think that is pretty accurate.
        Senator Cantwell. Yes, OK. So what do you think that you
    will do at NTIA to get a more technical team? The last person
    in your job was a very technical person. I am not saying one
    thing or another about that. I am just saying what are you
    going to do to build the technical expertise under you or with
    you at NTIA?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you, Senator. I have had the honor of
    working with so many technical experts at NTIA over the years,
    particularly in the Office of Spectrum Management, at the ITS.
    I look forward to working with NTIA's distinguished career
    staff and working with them. It is something that, at the FCC,
    as well, there were attorneys and then there were technical
    experts, and we all have to work together to find the right
    solution.
        Senator Cantwell. Well, we got into arguments with
    agencies. You know, it was NOAA's scientists versus somebody
    else's scientists. What is the type of expertise you think we
    have to get at NTIA so that we are forward leaning and building
    that kind of expertise that we can use to get coordination
    within the Federal Government?
        Ms. Roth. Thank you. No, it is a good question. I think we
    need a mix of different expertise to address the tremendous
    challenges that we face on spectrum, on getting broadband
    connected. I look forward to working with your office on
    ensuring that we achieve these goals.
        Senator Cantwell. But you agree, if NTIA is going to play
    this role, which I think our Committee thinks that it should,
    and historically we have been moving toward this, that NTIA has
    to have the technical horsepower to help succeed in the policy
    development?
        Ms. Roth. Yes. One thing I look forward to is getting to
    know NTIA's staff better. I have gotten to know some of them
    over the years, and I would welcome the opportunity to better
    understand NTIA's staffing needs.
        Senator Cantwell. Well, one of the reasons I bring this up
    is the Chairman, earlier this morning at a hearing on the fatal
    crash at DCA, General Braman, confirmed that despite FAA
    warnings the Secret Service and Navy have been actively jamming
    spectrum used by aircraft collision avoidance systems at DCA.
    So if confirmed, you will play a vital role in that
    coordination process.
        So do you agree that national security and public safety
    risks, that we have to figure out how to work on these issues,
    and that NTIA has to help resolve these issues?
        Ms. Roth. Absolutely. NTIA has to work with other Federal
    agencies to resolve technical disagreements, to ensure that
    national security and public safety are protected. It is an
    essential part of the interagency process.
        Senator Cantwell. So in that regard, do you agree that
    NTIA--well, first of all, the report that NTIA did that was
    about dynamic spectrum sharing, did you review that? I am
    assuming you did. I can't remember if you were part of our
    secure brief last year on this.
        Ms. Roth. I am not immediately familiar with which
    particular report you are referring to. Of course, NTIA has
    done a lot of research on spectrum innovation that I am
    familiar with.
        Senator Cantwell. So do you agree that NTIA, DoD, and other
    agencies must complete ongoing studies of the low gigahertz,
    you know, 3 GHz and 7 and 8 GHz band, before making a decision
    to reallocate that spectrum?
        Ms. Roth. If confirmed, I look forward to figuring out what
    the status of those studies are and learning more. I know NTIA
    has some very accomplished technical experts that are working
    on studies, and I look forward to working with them.
        Senator Cantwell. So do you think that before we do an
    allocation that we should have that information?
        Ms. Roth. I believe that any allocation of spectrum needs
    to take feasibility studies into account and ensure that our
    national security is protected as well as Federal missions.
        Senator Cantwell. Well, I am bringing this up because I
    think it was your witness, Matt Pearl, Director of Emergency
    Technology at CSIS, that was at a recent hearing, and he
    basically said yes, before we move forward obviously the
    Chairman does have a proposal to move forward without doing
    that study and analysis. So I am just trying to understand
    whether you think that is vital to do. Because in reality, your
    job is going to be the person who is going to try to help solve
    all this, right. So I am just trying to get a sense of whether
    you are going to move from one position here to this larger
    coordination position, and whether you are going to make sure
    that the analysis, so important to DoD, gets done?
        Ms. Roth. Senator, I believe that national security needs
    to be paramount in any effort to reallocate spectrum, and
    spectrum studies and interagency coordination are a huge part
    of that.
        Senator Cantwell. OK. So I am going to ask you, for the
    record, to give you a little more time to just say yes or no,
    whether that has to be completed. I will write it up for you,
    and on the 3 GHz and 7 and 8, whether that has to be completed
    before Congress goes ahead and does the allocation. There are a
    couple of different ways this could work. You certainly could
    write into the reconciliation bill that all that would have to
    be done. We are saying it has to be done. And obviously that is
    what we accomplished in the last administration is getting DoD
    and NTIA to agree. So we would like to see the very technical
    analysis that has to happen be done, given the complaint.
        So just for the record, my colleagues have asked a lot
    about BEAD funding, and that is great. That means I do not have
    to ask as much. The BEAD funding allocations, under law,
    include $3.3 billion to Texas, $405 million to Nebraska, $451
    to Kansas, $1.2 billion to West Virginia, $1 billion to Alaska.
    These are commitments that have been already committed, and
    households. So will you commit to preserving these allocations
    that NTIA made to each state in 2023, including I think about
    $1 billion to my home state of Washington?
        Ms. Roth. Senator, I will abide by the law.
        Senator Cantwell. Is your interpretation of that law that,
    yes, you will go ahead and make those allocations?
        Ms. Roth. I cannot commit to any specific outcomes as I
    have not been confirmed. But I will certainly----
        Senator Cantwell. You are saying you do not know what the
    Administration is going to do. Is that what you are saying?
        Ms. Roth. I have not been confirmed yet. I have not had an
    opportunity to look into this issue yet. But I will
    absolutely----
        Senator Cantwell. Well, you know the policy. You do know
    the policy, right? You know that was our intent, and the money
    has now been allocated. So it is whether you think that those
    commitments made in 2023 should be upheld?
        Ms. Roth. I believe that NTIA--if confirmed, I look forward
    to reviewing those allocations and ensuring that the program is
    compliant with the law. I will always abide by the law,
    Senator, and I look forward to working with you on the BEAD
    program.
        Senator Cantwell. Thank you. I would have like to have a
    stronger commitment, but we will get back to you on the 3 GHz
    in a written answer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cruz. Thank you, Senator Cantwell. I will note
    that Senator Cantwell mentioned my pipeline legislation, that
    it did not require a feasibility study. Under the terms of the
    legislation it actually directs the interagency to identify 600
    MHz that can be made available to the private sector, and to
    engage in that interagency discussion, and that includes
    necessarily a technical and feasibility study. What it does not
    do is give DoD the ability to slow-walk studies into eternity
    and block spectrum from being made available for job creation
    and to ensure that America beats China in 5G and 6G.
        I will also note earlier that Senator Markey, somewhat
    oddly, claimed that the Biden administration's partisan and
    political blacklisting of Starlink because they dislike Elon
    Musk, which had the consequence of denying many Americans
    broadband connectivity, he claimed it was somehow consistent
    with the statute. And I just want to read into the record the
    language of the statute, 47 USC 1705(a)(4) which reads, quote,
    ``The term 'covered broadband project' means a competitively
    and technologically neutral project for the deployment of fixed
    broadband service that provides qualifying broadband service in
    an eligible service area.''
        So that was written directly into the statute, that it was
    meant to be technologically neutral. And if Elon Musk had
    decided to be a ginormous Democrat donor, I have no doubt that
    the Biden administration would have pulled out a pinata and
    celebrated Starlink providing broadband. But because he was on
    the other side politically, the American people paid the price
    and did not get connected to the internet.
        Senator Cantwell. Mr. Chairman, if I could----
        Chairman Cruz. Sure.
        Senator Cantwell.--just on this issue. I think your example
    this morning at an earlier Committee hearing, we do have
    interference, and it does affect the safety of aviation, and
    could affect the safety of other things. And so I just hope
    that we will get to this point where we are working to make
    America competitive by having the dynamic spectrum sharing and
    the best expertise as a nation, but trying to put one cart in
    front of the other without answering those technical questions
    is a big concern, I think, for a lot of people here.
        Listen, Starlink, as I mentioned, is providing service in
    my state and doing so in great capacity. But I do think that
    states, you know, I am not as big a personal fan of what
    happened because we moved the technical expertise from a very
    technical group of people, albeit they were not moving fast
    enough, the FCC, to another group of people at states, and then
    they also did not necessarily answer some of these questions.
        So I do think that communities need to know what they are
    getting, and they need to know that the solution, particularly
    on fiber that they may need to have their data also transferred
    out of the community, is an important point.
        So I think it is safe to say we are going to have a lot of
    conversations about spectrum, about broadband, and continuing
    this. But I really hope that these various sectors would work
    together. I really do believe in the CHIPS and Science Act. I
    do believe that one of the competitive things for our Nation is
    to get deployment, but also get national security.
        So thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cruz. And it is certainly right that we have to do
    these technically correct. I will note that we had interference
    at DCA because the Navy screwed up and did not listen to the
    FAA, and that is not how this is supposed to operate.
        Ms. Roth, my final question is required of all nominees. If
    confirmed, do you pledge to work collaboratively with this
    Committee to provide thorough and timely responses to this
    Committee's requests and to appear before the Committee, when
    requested?
        Ms. Roth. Yes, Senator.
        Chairman Cruz. Thank you. I have 15 letters of support from
    various organizations for Ms. Roth's nomination to be Assistant
    Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information that I
    ask unanimous consent to be inserted into the hearing record.
    Without objection, so ordered.
        [The information referred to follows:]

        Chairman Cruz. Senators will have until the close of
    business Monday, March 31, to submit questions for the record.
    The nominee will have until the close of business Friday, April
    4, to respond to those questions.
        This concludes today's hearing. And, by the way, your
    children performed their task beautifully. A terrific success.
    The Committee is adjourned.
        [Whereupon, at 3:46 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]

                                A P P E N D I X

         Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. John Thune to
                                  Arielle Roth
        Question 1. Can you detail NTIA's role in the Federal government's
    administration of spectrum? Specifically, can you clarify how Federal
    agencies coordinate to resolve issues when a conflict arises between
    commercial users and Federal agencies' use of spectrum?
        Answer. As mandated in its enabling statute, NTIA is the
    coordinator of Federal spectrum and assigns spectrum to Federal
    agencies. NTIA is also the President's advisor on spectrum and is
    tasked with promoting the best and most efficient use of spectrum. NTIA
    does not auction spectrum or have auction authority--that is the domain
    of the FCC--but has traditionally helped the FCC with identifying
    spectrum for auctions.
        In its role as the coordinator of Federal spectrum, NTIA plays a
    central role in ensuring that Federal spectrum users are able to meet
    their critical missions and works to protect these missions when non-
    federal users, including commercial entities, seek access to federally
    held or adjacent spectrum. While balancing these interests is complex,
    NTIA works closely with other agencies on spectrum coordination
    primarily through the Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee (IRAC)--
    an interagency committee that advises NTIA on frequency assignments for
    Federal agencies and other policies and technical issues pertaining to
    spectrum management.
        NTIA is also responsible for representing the view of the Executive
    Branch on spectrum matters before the FCC, including by maintaining
    clear and frequent channels of communication with the FCC.
        This process helps ensure that spectrum is put to its best and
    highest use, supporting innovation and national priorities alike.

        Question 2. As the FCC looks to expand access to additional
    licensed spectrum, do you expect the same coordination that you have
    detailed to continue across agencies to ensure our national security
    interests are not compromised in the future?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to not only maintain but, where
    possible, improve the close coordinating relationship with all Federal
    agencies, including the Department of Defense, to protect national
    security and other critical Federal missions.

        Question 3. How will you work to ensure more spectrum is used
    efficiently and made available for commercial use, including both
    licensed and unlicensed technologies?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work with NTIA's technical experts and
    other Federal agencies to look for efficiencies in the Federal
    government's use of spectrum while protecting national security and
    public safety. With advances in technology, there is likely to be an
    ever-increasing demand for a variety of users to access spectrum and
    opportunities to continue to evolve in our efforts to manage spectrum.

        Question 4. If confirmed, will you commit to working with Secretary
    Lutnick on his review of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment
    program to ensure that broadband funds are deployed quickly and
    efficiently to truly unserved areas?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 5. The NTIA has not been reauthorized by Congress since
    1992. What, if any, specific reforms should Congress consider if a
    reauthorization effort comes together, and will you commit to working
    with the members of this Committee on Commerce, Science, and
    Transportation on a reauthorization effort?
        Answer. I commit to working with this Committee on any legislative
    efforts as requested. As I have not yet been confirmed, it would be
    premature for me to weigh in on reforms to NTIA for Congress to
    consider. I would welcome the opportunity to work with your office on
    this issue upon confirmation. And if Congress were to pass NTIA
    reauthorization legislation, I would faithfully implement it.
                                     ______

        Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Deb Fischer to
                                  Arielle Roth
        Question 1. I appreciated meeting with you last week. As we talked
    about, you will have a crucial role managing Federal government
    spectrum, if you are confirmed to lead the National Telecommunications
    and Information Administration (NTIA). I also appreciated your
    understanding of how critical the Iron Dome has been to Israel's
    missile defense, and how President Trump's plans for the United States'
    own Golden Dome--which will need to defend against different and more
    complex threats--are essential to our national security. As USSTRATCOM
    and USSPACECOM testified publicly on March 26, 2025, these plans
    involve key bands of Department of Defense spectrum, including the 3.1-
    3.45 gigahertz (GHz) and the 7/8 GHz bands. A few questions related to
    this matter are below:

        a. In situations of potential reallocation, should DOD co-lead
    feasibility studies on its spectrum assignments with NTIA? Please
    answer yes or no.
        Answer. The Department of Defense should have a seat at the table
    in any study or discussion affecting its use of spectrum. Per NTIA's
    enabling statute, NTIA oversees and leads the Federal government's use
    of spectrum, assigns spectrum to agencies, and serves as the
    President's principal advisor on telecommunications and spectrum
    management.
        If confirmed, I will work to not only maintain but, where possible,
    improve NTIA's close coordinating relationship with all Federal
    agencies, including the Department of Defense, to protect national
    security and other critical Federal missions.

        b. Are there segments of the 3.1-3.45 GHz band that should be
    auctioned for full-power use, in your view? If yes, would you please
    identify the specific frequencies?
        Answer. As with any spectrum decision affecting Federal missions,
    national security and public safety must be paramount. Since I have not
    yet been confirmed, I have not yet had an opportunity to review the
    status of studies affecting this band or consult with technical or
    national security experts at NTIA or the Department of Defense. As
    such, it would be premature for me to take a position on what, if any,
    segments of this band should be auctioned.

        c. Are there segments of the 7.125-8.4 GHz band that should be
    auctioned for full-power use, in your view? If yes, would you please
    identify the specific frequencies?
        Answer. As with any spectrum decision affecting Federal missions,
    national security and public safety must be paramount. Since I have not
    been confirmed, I have not yet had an opportunity to review the status
    of studies affecting this band or confer with technical or national
    security experts at NTIA or the Department of Defense. As such, it
    would be premature for me to take a position on what, if any, segments
    of this band should be auctioned.

        Question 2. Should the estimates of spectrum auction revenues also
    include calculations of the relocation costs for incumbent systems?
    Please answer yes or no.
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 3. Do China's lower 3 band frequencies from 3.3-3.4 GHz
    have limits for low-power use for indoor coverage?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 4. Given that there is no statutory definition of low-,
    mid-, or high-band spectrum, what is your understanding of where mid-
    band spectrum begins and ends--which two frequencies, specifically?
        Answer. My understanding of mid-band is functional, rather than
    focused on a defined set of frequencies. It refers to spectrum that
    offers a balance of coverage of speed, and is suitable for data-heavy,
    reliable, and low-latency mobile broadband communications. Most ranges
    I have seen focus on spectrum start between 1 GHz and 2 GHz and end
    between 7 GHz and 12 GHz.

        Question 5. Do you believe that exclusively licensed spectrum is
    more valuable than unlicensed spectrum? How would you prioritize them
    in managing Federal spectrum, if you are confirmed?
        Answer. I believe that U.S. global technology leadership depends on
    an efficient and effective use of spectrum through an all-of-the-above
    approach: licensed, unlicensed, full-power, low-power, and satellite
    use. The Federal government also relies on a variety of spectrum use
    cases to perform critical missions. However, licensing and power rules
    regarding commercial spectrum are generally a matter for the FCC, not
    NTIA.

        Question 6. I am looking forward to Nebraska finally getting its
    BEAD program dollars out the door. The state has a strong plan that
    abides by its budget, includes robust stakeholder feedback, and would
    ensure broadband services reach all remaining unserved households.

        a. How long do you expect to see the current review period on the
    BEAD program take?

        b. If confirmed, would you commit to keeping Nebraska's current
    BEAD plan on track without delays?

        c. If confirmed, would you implement a new per-location funding cap
    on initial BEAD plans that have already been approved? If so:

        i. What would a reasonable threshold for a per-location cap be?

        ii. Would such a cap be an overall maximum per location, or would
    it be a statewide average?
        Answer. Connecting every American to broadband expeditiously is my
    top priority and I agree that the Department must move quickly to
    complete review of Nebraska's plan. If confirmed, I look forward to
    working with Secretary Lutnick and NTIA staff to expedite the BEAD
    program, get funding to the states, and expand broadband buildout,
    consistent with the law. I look forward to working with NTIA's career
    staff and state broadband offices to cut red tape and unnecessary
    bureaucracy, to avoid further delays and minimize work for states,
    consistent with the law.
        If confirmed and the issue of a per-location cap were to come up, I
    would consult with legal counsel, NTIA's career staff, state broadband
    offices, and industry stakeholders, as appropriate. Moreover, a per-
    location cap, should it come up, would need to account for
    consideration of high-cost areas, including high-cost Tribal areas.
                                     ______

        Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Dan Sullivan to
                                  Arielle Roth
        Question 1. As I have shared with this Committee time and again,
    Alaska is different, and I need you to recognize that difference as you
    take the helm at NTIA. In Alaska, broadband access is critical for our
    communities, yet the terrain is unlike anywhere else. The weather is
    extreme. The building season is short. And, the permitting process is
    challenged by Federal land ownership. No other state has so many remote
    communities that are unconnected from any other infrastructure such as
    roads or utilities.
        In all likelihood, you're going to be put in charge of an
    unprecedented amount of broadband grant funding. It is critical that we
    get this right. Will you commit to come to Alaska to appreciate our
    unique challenges, and to evaluate Alaskan state and tribal applicants
    with these challenges in mind?
        Answer. I recognize the uniqueness of Alaska's broadband
    challenges--something I came to learn through my years working at the
    FCC on programs like the Alaska Plan and the Rural Health Care Program.
    It would be my honor to visit Alaska. If confirmed, I commit to
    implementing all of NTIA's legal requirements, including by taking into
    account Alaska's unique challenges when reviewing the state's
    applications.

        Question 2. In October, NTIA announced that Alaska will be
    obligated over $1 billion. I know you are aware of the criticisms that
    have been made that the Biden Administration layered on requirements
    that are beyond the IIJA law in the BEAD NOFO.
        I ask that you remove the Biden-era extraneous regulations as you
    review the BEAD program, and do so quickly as time is money for
    applicants. We have great needs in Alaska with unserved areas. Will you
    commit to that?
        Answer. Connecting every American to broadband expeditiously is my
    top priority. If confirmed, I look forward to working with NTIA's
    career staff and state broadband offices to cut red tape and
    unnecessary bureaucracy, to avoid further delays and minimize work for
    states, consistent with the law. If confirmed, I will work with
    Secretary Lutnick and NTIA staff to expedite the BEAD program, get
    funding to the states, and expand broadband buildout, consistent with
    the law.

        Question 3. The BEAD program's success depends on allowing states
    to lead. Alaska knows best where broadband is lacking and understands
    the challenges presented by our low population density, extreme
    weather, and difficult terrain. Federal requirements should not impose
    one-size-fits-all solutions but instead empower states to design
    deployment strategies that work for their specific circumstances.
        Will you commit to me that NTIA will defer to states in making
    choices that they believe will deliver the best possible broadband for
    their consumers and communities given the amount of funding they have?
        Answer. I recognize that every state is different and there is no
    one-size-fits-all solution. I agree that states should have flexibility
    to tailor solutions to their individual circumstances, consistent with
    the law.
        If confirmed, I will work with states to deliver the best broadband
    service possible for their constituents, consistent with NTIA's
    statutory authority.

        Question 4. The unique challenges due to our vast, remote, and
    rugged terrain make technology neutrality truly critical to serving
    Alaskans. We need a combination of technologies to be available,
    including fiber, fixed wireless, and satellite.
        Notably, Alaska lacks middle mile fiber, and these projects play a
    critical role bridging the gap between core Internet networks and local
    communities. Given Alaska's vast and remote geography, reliable middle
    mile infrastructure is essential to connecting underserved and unserved
    areas and for supporting healthcare, education, and economic
    development. By addressing the unique challenges of Alaska terrain,
    middle mile fiber ensures Internet access for generations to come.
        If a one-sized-fits-all per location cap is put in place for fiber
    for projects in Alaska, it is hard to image how any projects will be
    built for my constituents. Will you commit to working with me to ensure
    that resources are allocated in a manner that takes into consideration
    the needs of Alaskans?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 5. The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) is
    intended to spur economic development and create opportunities for
    remote employment, online entrepreneurship, remote learning, and
    telehealth in remote Tribal communities.
        Given the size of the broadband challenge in Alaska--and given the
    limited resources available in Alaska to implement this program--some
    of Alaska's TBCP projects require attention by NTIA to make sure
    funding is deployed efficiently and effectively.

        Will you commit to working with Alaska's Tribal entities to address
    the unique challenges of deploying broadband infrastructure in our
    state to make sure this program works as intended?
        Answer. Yes.
    Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Shelley Moore Capito to

                                  Arielle Roth
    Question 1--BEAD Review Status
        Mrs. Roth, as we discussed in our meeting, I am very interested in
    seeing West Virginia benefit from the BEAD program. While I can't
    believe after 3 and a half years we still have not seen a single
    location connected from this program. I know that my state is right on
    the cusp of having its final proposal ready and will be granted a 90-
    day extension of its deadline in late April.
        While I am all for improvements to BEAD to speed up deployment
    taking a long review and making states like mine wait longer does not
    make sense. The review started 3 weeks ago and not many details have
    been made public. I did have a productive call with Secretary Lutnick
    last week, but I expect that he will rely on your broadband expertise
    when it comes to BEAD.

       In your opinion, is July a reasonable deadline for the
            review to be completed?
        Answer. As I have not yet been confirmed, I cannot commit to a
    specific timeline for such review. However, connecting every American
    to broadband expeditiously is my top priority. If confirmed, I look
    forward to working with Secretary Lutnick and NTIA staff to expedite
    the BEAD program, get funding to West Virginia, and expand broadband
    buildout, consistent with the law. I look forward to working with
    NTIA's career staff and West Virginia's broadband office to cut red
    tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, to avoid further delays and minimize
    work for states, consistent with the law.
    Question 2--BEAD State Control
        Answer. My state has put in the work for the last 2 years jumping
    through every hoop since the Biden Notice of Funding Opportunity came
    out. While I am all for tech neutrality and easing lots of burdensome
    requirements like the labor mandates--if a state wants to use fiber
    they should be able to.

       Do you agree that NTIA's role is to make sure that states
            are executing their plans to connect people and not dictating
            that they use any specific technology that might cost less but
            may not be as reliable?
        Answer. I recognize that every state is different and there is no
    one-size-fits-all solution. I agree that states should have flexibility
    to tailor solutions to their individual circumstances, consistent with
    the law.
        I support an all-of-the-above solution, including fiber as well as
    alternative technologies where appropriate. If confirmed, I will work
    with states to deliver the best broadband service possible for their
    constituents, consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.
    Question 3--BEAD Deployment Cap
        I know that many are concerned about waste and overbuilding in the
    BEAD program. West Virginia has nearly 97,000 locations that are
    unserved and BEAD eligible.
        Overbuilding will NOT be an issue in my state though it could be in
    D.C. and other places that are receiving money and have hardly any
    locations that are unserved and underserved.
        I am also against connecting a single remote cabin with fiber for
    $100,000--that doesn't make sense. NTIA's role should be working with
    states to prevent this kind of waste in their applications.

       Do you support an arbitrary deployment cost cap or should
            deployment costs be considered on a case by case basis and
            worked out with the states individually?
        Answer. I do not support taking any arbitrary actions. If the issue
    of a per-location cap were to come up, I would consult with legal
    counsel, NTIA's career staff, state broadband offices, and industry
    stakeholders, as appropriate. Moreover, a per-location cap, should it
    come up, would need to account for consideration of high-cost areas,
    including high-cost Tribal areas.
    Question 4--Speeding up NTIA's Approval Process
        In the last administration, West Virginia submitted their Initial
    Proposal Volume II to NTIA in January of 2024 and did not get it
    approved until April. I know there has to be some back-and-forth but
    waiting 3 months after lots of consultation on the front end is
    unacceptable.

       What ways can NTIA streamline its approval process so states
            like West Virginia do not have to wait and wait when they
            submit their final proposal?
        Answer. Connecting every American to broadband expeditiously is my
    top priority. If confirmed, I look forward to working with Secretary
    Lutnick and NTIA staff to expedite the BEAD program, get funding to the
    states, and expand broadband buildout, consistent with the law. I look
    forward to working with NTIA's career staff and state broadband offices
    to cut red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, to avoid further delays
    and minimize work for states, consistent with the law.
    Question 5--BEAD Speeding up Deployment
        I am frustrated by the long delay of this program and I know it's
    been touched on already, but there are a number of things in the Biden
    NO-FO that are not only burdensome but will delay deployment.

       How can fiber deployment, for example be sped up?
        Answer. I agree that NTIA's main focus should be on expediting
    deployment and making up for lost time. Reducing permitting burdens and
    delays might be one way to speed up fiber deployment. I would welcome
    the opportunity to work with your office on this issue.
    Question 6--BEAD Legislation
        One policy area I care deeply about is permitting reform. Under
    Biden's American Rescue Plan broadband projects were exempted from NEPA
    approval. Yet right now BEAD projects would be subjected to the
    process. This will certainly slow down families from being connected.

       How much faster would NEPA exemptions speed up deployment?
        Answer. Permitting reform is badly needed in the United States, and
    your leadership on that front has been critical in moving that effort
    forward. Regarding BEAD projects, it is unquestionable that NEPA
    exemptions would speed up deployment. As you noted in your recent
    Environment and Public Works Committee hearing ``Improving the Federal
    Environmental Review and Permitting Processes,'' permitting delays
    significantly and adversely impact a multitude of important
    infrastructure projects from water line and bridge replacements to
    broadband deployment. While it is difficult to say precisely how much
    NEPA reviews delay a specific broadband deployment project, a 2024
    report by the Department of Commerce Inspector General estimated delays
    could be two years or more just to complete the NEPA review.

       Do you support waiving the NEPA process for BEAD?
        Answer. As you noted, under Biden's American Rescue Plan broadband
    projects were exempted from NEPA approval. In the last Congress,
    Senators Cruz and Kelly authored the Building Chips in America Act,
    which was enacted in October of last year, to exempt semiconductor
    projects receiving funds from the CHIPS and Science Act from NEPA
    reviews. Clearly, there is a bipartisan recognition that the NEPA
    process unnecessarily delays infrastructure projects, especially in
    those cases where the only element of the project triggering NEPA
    review is simply the provision of Federal funds or the fact that a
    project crosses Federal lands. As you highlighted in your recent
    Environment and Public Works Committee hearing, ``Improving the Federal
    Environmental Review and Permitting Processes,'' expanding categorical
    exclusions, enacting real time limits on permitting approvals, and
    narrowing the scope of judicial review for legal challenges would also
    significantly help speed up federally supported infrastructure
    construction and deployment, including broadband deployment under the
    BEAD program.
    Question 7--BEAD State Allocations
        West Virginia was awarded $1.2 billion and has spent nearly 2 years
    coming up with a plan to serve 97,000 unserved locations plus over
    15,000 underserved locations. The idea that NTIA would try to claw that
    money back goes against what Secretary Lutnick has told me on multiple
    occasions. This topic was brought up in the hearing.

       Can you commit to not changing the allocated amounts that
            states have been allocated?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release West Virginia's
    allocated funds consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.
                                     ______

       Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Maria Cantwell to
                                  Arielle Roth
        Ongoing Spectrum Studies. During the first Trump Administration,
    there were failures to coordinate on Federal and commercial spectrum
    policy. I believe we must create a coordinated approach to domestic
    spectrum policy, where agencies such as the Federal Aviation
    Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of
    Defense (DoD), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
    (NOAA) work together with the National Telecommunications and
    Information Administration (NTIA) and Federal Communications Commission
    (FCC)--cooperatively--on spectrum.

        Question 1. Yes or no. Do you agree that NTIA, DoD, and other
    Federal agencies must complete the ongoing studies of the lower 3
    Gigahertz and 7 and 8 Gigahertz bands before a decision is made to
    reallocate that spectrum?
        Answer. I agree that rigorous and careful study should precede
    decisions to reallocate these spectrum bands.

        Question 2. Do you think it's wise to auction Federal spectrum
    before technical studies are finished to determine the viability of
    relocating Federal systems?
        Answer. No.

        Question 3. If confirmed, will you commit to collaborating on a
    spectrum policy that engages stakeholders from the Department of
    Commerce (DOC), DoD, DOT, FCC, and industry, to work towards resolution
    to restore U.S. leadership in innovation?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 4. If confirmed, will you commit to meeting with the
    members of the Interagency Spectrum Advisory Council upon confirmation?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 5. If confirmed, will you commit to receiving a classified
    briefing about the importance of spectrum for national security from
    the DoD and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence within
    a reasonable timeframe?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 6. Yes or no. Do you agree that we cannot put our national
    security and public safety at risk to free up spectrum for sale to the
    commercial sector?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 7. Yes or no, do you agree that proper coordination of
    spectrum use is vital?
        Answer. Yes.

        Infrastructure, Affordability, and Broadband Equity Access and
    Deployment. The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provided access
    to affordable Internet for 23 million households before Congressional
    Republicans blocked efforts to renew the program last year. While the
    ACP is now defunct, millions of Americans still struggle to afford
    Internet access, even though it is vital for modern life.

        Question 1. Do you agree that affordability is a major factor in
    our country's digital divide?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 2. How do you see NTIA's role ensuring broadband is
    affordable for all?
        Answer. Congress has directed NTIA to play a role in promoting
    broadband affordability by administering broadband programs like BEAD.
    NTIA can also help to reduce unnecessary permitting burdens that can
    increase the cost of providing broadband and expand commercial spectrum
    access, which in turn increases both mobile and broadband competition,
    driving down costs for consumers.

        Question 3. Yes or no. Do you commit to follow the law and require
    all Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) subgrantees to offer
    at least one ``low-cost broadband service option,'' as required under
    the statute?
        Answer. Yes, I commit to following the law.

        Infrastructure and BEAD Allocations. The bipartisan Infrastructure
    Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021 appropriated $42 billion for the
    BEAD program, $1.2 billion of which was allocated to the State of
    Washington to connect households to broadband. The commitment that
    Congress made to reach the goal of connecting unserved and underserved
    households is well underway, with plans in all 56 states and
    territories approved by NTIA, in compliance with the law.

        Question 1. Yes or no. If confirmed, will you commit to releasing
    all allocated funds to the states that have already had their final
    proposals approved? If no, why not?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to expeditiously release
    allocated funds to the states consistent with NTIA's statutory
    authority.

        Question 2. Yes or no. Ms. Roth, do you agree that states need the
    flexibility to implement the BEAD program, and ensure that it works for
    the people in each state and territory-and that what works in Rhode
    Island may not work in Texas?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 2a. Yes or no. Will you commit to providing states with
    the flexibility to use their BEAD funds to select the providers and
    technologies that work best for their unique circumstances?
        Answer. I recognize that every state is different and there is no
    one-size-fits-all solution. I agree that states should have flexibility
    to tailor solutions to their individual circumstances, consistent with
    the law.
        If confirmed, I will work with states to deliver the best broadband
    service possible for their constituents, consistent with NTIA's
    statutory authority.

        Question 3. Yes or no. If a state like West Virginia wants to use
    its allocation to fund fiber rather than satellite, will you stand in
    its way?
        Answer. No, I recognize that every state is different and there is
    no one-size-fits-all solution. I agree that states should have
    flexibility to tailor solutions to their individual circumstances,
    consistent with the law.
        If confirmed, I will work with states to deliver the best broadband
    service possible for their constituents, consistent with NTIA's
    statutory authority.

        Question 4. Do you believe NTIA has the authority to establish a
    national per location cap as part of the BEAD program? If so, please
    cite the specific provisions and explain your reasoning?
        Answer. If confirmed and the issue of a per-location cap were to
    come up, I would consult with legal counsel, NTIA's career staff, state
    broadband offices, and industry stakeholders, as appropriate. Moreover,
    a per-location cap, should it come up, would need to account for
    consideration of high-cost areas, including high-cost Tribal areas.

        Preserving BEAD Allocations. During your hearing, I was
    disappointed that you did not provide a clear commitment to preserve
    the BEAD allocations that NTIA made to states in 2023. The American
    people deserve clarity on this important question. As such, please
    provide a Yes or No response to the following questions:

        Question 1. Will you commit to preserving the $1,227,742,066.30
    that NTIA allocated in 2023 to my home state of Washington?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 2. Will you commit to preserving the $1,401,221,901.77
    that NTIA allocated to Alabama?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 3. Will you commit to preserving the $1,017,139,672.42
    that NTIA allocated to Alaska?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 4. Will you commit to preserving the $37,564,827.53 that
    NTIA allocated to American Samoa?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 5. Will you commit to preserving the $993,112,231.37 that
    NTIA allocated to Arizona?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 6. Will you commit to preserving the $1,024,303,993.86
    that NTIA allocated to Arkansas?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 7. Will you commit to preserving the $1,864,136,508.93
    that NTIA allocated to California?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 8. Will you commit to preserving the $826,522,650.41 that
    NTIA allocated to Colorado?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 9. Will you commit to preserving the $80,796,709.02 that
    NTIA allocated to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 10. Will you commit to preserving the $144,180,792.71 that
    NTIA allocated to Connecticut?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 11. Will you commit to preserving the $107,748,384.66 that
    NTIA allocated to Delaware?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 12. Will you commit to preserving the $100,694,786.93 that
    NTIA allocated to the District of Columbia?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 13. Will you commit to preserving the $1,169,947,392.70
    that NTIA allocated to Florida?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 14. Will you commit to preserving the $1,307,214,371.30
    that NTIA allocated to Georgia?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 15. Will you commit to preserving the $156,831,733.59 that
    NTIA allocated to Guam?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 16. Will you commit to preserving the $149,484,493.57 that
    NTIA allocated to Hawaii?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 17. Will you commit to preserving the $583,256,249.88 that
    NTIA allocated to Idaho?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 18. Will you commit to preserving the $1,040,420,751.50
    that NTIA allocated to Illinois?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 19. Will you commit to preserving the $868,109,929.79 that
    NTIA allocated to Indiana?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 20. Will you commit to preserving the $415,331,313.00 that
    NTIA allocated to Iowa?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 21. Will you commit to preserving the $451,725,998.15 that
    NTIA allocated to Kansas?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 22. Will you commit to preserving the $1,086,172,536.86
    that NTIA allocated to Kentucky?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 23. Will you commit to preserving the $1,355,554,552.94
    that NTIA allocated to Louisiana?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 24. Will you commit to preserving the $271,977,723.07 that
    NTIA allocated to Maine?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 25. Will you commit to preserving the $267,738,400.71 that
    NTIA allocated to Maryland?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 26. Will you commit to preserving the $147,422,464.39 that
    NTIA allocated to Massachusetts?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 27. Will you commit to preserving the $1,559,362,479.29
    that NTIA allocated to Michigan?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 28. Will you commit to preserving the $651,839,368.20 that
    NTIA allocated to Minnesota?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 29. Will you commit to preserving the $1,203,561,563.05
    that NTIA allocated to Mississippi?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 30. Will you commit to preserving the $1,736,302,708.39
    that NTIA allocated to Missouri?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 31. Will you commit to preserving the $628,973,798.59 that
    NTIA allocated to Montana?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 32. Will you commit to preserving the $405,281,070.41 that
    NTIA allocated to Nebraska?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 33. Will you commit to preserving the $416,666,229.74 that
    NTIA allocated to Nevada?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 34. Will you commit to preserving the $196,560,278.97 that
    NTIA allocated to New Hampshire?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 35. Will you commit to preserving the $263,689,548.65 that
    NTIA allocated to New Jersey?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 36. Will you commit to preserving the $675,372,311.86 that
    NTIA allocated to New Mexico?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 37. Will you commit to preserving the $664,618,251.49 that
    NTIA allocated to New York?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 38. Will you commit to preserving the $1,532,999,481.15
    that NTIA allocated to North Carolina?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 39. Will you commit to preserving the $130,162,815.12 that
    NTIA allocated to North Dakota?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 40. Will you commit to preserving the $793,688,107.63 that
    NTIA allocated to Ohio?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 41. Will you commit to preserving the $797,435,691.25 that
    NTIA allocated to Oklahoma?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 42. Will you commit to preserving the $688,914,932.17 that
    NTIA allocated to Oregon?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 43. Will you commit to preserving the $1,161,778,272.41
    that NTIA allocated to Pennsylvania?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 44. Will you commit to preserving the $334,614,151.70 that
    NTIA allocated to Puerto Rico?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 45. Will you commit to preserving the $108,718,820.75 that
    NTIA allocated to Rhode Island?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 46. Will you commit to preserving the $551,535,983.05 that
    NTIA allocated to South Carolina?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 47. Will you commit to preserving the $207,227,523.92 that
    NTIA allocated to South Dakota?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 48. Will you commit to preserving the $813,319,680.22 that
    NTIA allocated to Tennessee?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 49. Will you commit to preserving the $3,312,616,455.45
    that NTIA allocated to Texas?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 50. Will you commit to preserving the $27,103,240.86 that
    NTIA allocated to the U.S. Virgin Islands?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 51. Will you commit to preserving the $317,399,741.54 that
    NTIA allocated to Utah?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 52. Will you commit to preserving the $228,913,019.08 that
    NTIA allocated to Vermont?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 53. Will you commit to preserving the $1,481,489,572.87
    that NTIA allocated to Virginia?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 54. Will you commit to preserving the $1,210,800,969.85
    that NTIA allocated to West Virginia?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 55. Will you commit to preserving the $1,055,823,573.71
    that NTIA allocated to Wisconsin?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 56. Will you commit to preserving the $347,877,921.27 that
    NTIA allocated to Wyoming?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release allocated funds to the
    states consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        BEAD technology requirements. While the BEAD statute allows states
    flexibility to serve extremely high-cost locations with alternative
    technology, the statute requires that the states ``prioritize funding''
    for ``priority broadband projects.'' The statute defines ``priority
    broadband projects'' as those that, among other things, ``ensure that
    the network built by the project can easily scale speeds over time to
    meet the evolving connectivity needs of households and businesses; and
    support the deployment of 5G, successor wireless technologies, and
    other advanced services.'' At your confirmation hearing, Chair Cruz
    asserted that the BEAD program was intended to be tech neutral. In
    making this argument, however, Chair Cruz cited language from the
    Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (the definition of a ``Covered
    broadband project'' as defined in Section 1705(a)(4) of Title 47 of the
    U.S. Code), which is not part of the BEAD program.

        Question 1. Do you believe that low earth orbit (LEO) offerings
    that are available to consumers today ``can easily scale speeds over
    time to meet the evolving connectivity needs of households and
    businesses; and support the deployment of 5G, successor wireless
    technologies, and other advanced services?''
        Answer. If confirmed, I will consult with NTIA's engineers and
    attorneys to determine which specific products, services, and
    technologies meet the criteria in the law for ``priority broadband
    project'' per the IIJA.

        Question 2. Do you believe that a state which purchases service
    from a LEO satellite broadband provider is using BEAD funds to pay for
    ``a network built by the project?''
        Answer. If confirmed, I will consult with NTIA's engineers and
    attorneys to determine which specific products, services, and
    technologies meet the criteria in the law for ``priority broadband
    project'' per the IIJA.

        Question 3. Do you agree that the definition of a ``Covered
    broadband project'' as defined in Section 1705(a)(4) of Title 47 of the
    U.S. Code applies to the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, and is
    not relevant to the question of tech neutrality in the BEAD program?
        Answer. While this particular definition applies to the Tribal
    Broadband Connectivity Program, the BEAD program contains similar
    technology-neutral criteria to define ``priority broadband project,''
    ``unserved location,'' and ``underserved location,'' and in defining
    minimum service requirements to receive a subgrant.

        BEAD BABA requirements. The IIJA included the Build America Buy
    America Act (BABA) says that when the government provides money for
    building things like roads and bridges, the materials used to build
    them should be made in the United States. This means things like iron,
    steel, products made in factories, and materials for construction need
    to come from the U.S. NTIA issued a partial waiver for BABA for the
    BEAD program that required that the vast majority of components used in
    the construction of BEAD funded networks be made in the United States.

        Question 1. Do you believe it is important that BEAD funds should
    support U.S. manufacturing and U.S. jobs?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 2. Do you intend to change or modify the BEAD BABA waiver?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will do everything I can to support
    American workers, manufacturers, businesses, consumers, and taxpayers
    to deploy broadband expeditiously. I commit to looking into this issue
    if confirmed and I look forward to supporting the twin goals of speedy
    broadband deployment and an American manufacturing renaissance.

        Question 3. Are you concerned that changes to the BEAD program,
    such as by reducing the amount of fiber deployed, could negatively
    impact investments made by U.S. companies in domestic manufacturing to
    support the program?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will do everything I can to support
    American workers, manufacturers, businesses, consumers, and taxpayers
    to deploy broadband expeditiously. I commit to looking into this issue
    if confirmed and I look forward to supporting the twin goals of speedy
    broadband deployment and an American manufacturing renaissance.

        Question 4. Are you concerned that changes to the BEAD program,
    such as by reducing the amount of fiber deployed, could result in job
    losses or workforce reductions for U.S. companies that made investments
    in domestic manufacturing to support the program?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will do everything I can to support
    American workers, manufacturers, businesses, consumers, and taxpayers
    to deploy broadband expeditiously. I commit to looking into this issue
    if confirmed and I look forward to supporting the twin goals of speedy
    broadband deployment and an American manufacturing renaissance.

        Secretary Lutnick and BEAD Commitments. During his confirmation
    hearing before this Committee, now-Secretary Lutnick repeatedly failed
    to commit not to claw back funding for infrastructure programs under
    NTIA's jurisdiction, particularly the BEAD program. Now confirmed in
    that role, Secretary Lutnick has made alarming statements indicating he
    intends to overhaul the program and potentially delay states' work to
    connect homes to high-speed internet.

        Question 1. Will you commit not to claw back funding for NTIA
    infrastructure programs, such as BEAD?
        Answer. Connecting every American to broadband is my top priority,
    and I support using every dollar allocated in the BEAD program to doing
    just that. If confirmed, I look forward to working with Secretary
    Lutnick and NTIA staff to expedite the BEAD program and get funding to
    the states, consistent with the law.

        Question 2. If Secretary Lutnick's ongoing ``review'' of the BEAD
    program results in allocated funding being clawed back, will you oppose
    such efforts, if confirmed?
        Answer. Connecting every American to broadband is my top priority,
    and I support using every dollar allocated in the BEAD program to doing
    just that. If confirmed, I look forward to working with Secretary
    Lutnick and NTIA staff to expedite the BEAD program and get allocated
    funding to the states, consistent with the law.

        Question 3. Have you discussed the ``review'' of the BEAD program
    with Secretary Lutnick? If so, please detail the nature of these
    conversations and when they took place.
        Answer. No.

        Secretary Lutnick and Congressional Testimony. During his
    confirmation hearing, now-Secretary Lutnick testified that he would not
    support the dismantling of the Minority Business Development Agency
    (MBDA). Despite this clear testimony, the DOC, under Secretary
    Lutnick's leadership, appears to be actively dismantling the MBDA.

        Question 1. Will you adhere to the commitments and statements you
    make to this Committee regarding the fulfillment of your duties and
    responsibilities in this post, if confirmed?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 2. During your hearing, you testified that you would
    ``follow the law.'' Do you agree that providing untruthful testimony to
    Congress violates the law?
        Answer. Yes.

        Secretary Lutnick and Tesla. During an appearance on ``Jesse
    Watters Primetime'' on March 19, 2025, Secretary Lutnick urged people
    to ``buy Tesla'' stock and said, ``anybody that doesn't buy a Tesla
    robot is going to be silly.'' As you know, Federal officers are
    generally prohibited from using their public office for the endorsement
    of any product, service, or enterprise. Federal officers are also
    generally prohibited from using their position to imply the government
    sanctions or endorses another individual's personal activities.

        Question 1. Do you think Secretary's Lutnick's comments urging
    people to purchase Tesla stock or a Tesla product were appropriate?
        Answer. I am not familiar with Secretary Lutnick's comments, and I
    look forward to performing the responsibilities of NTIA administrator
    if I am fortunate enough to be confirmed.

        Question 2. If confirmed, will you commit to not use your public
    office to promote or otherwise endorse Elon Musk's products or
    services, such as Starlink, or the products or services of any other
    Trump Administration official?
        Answer. Yes.

        Tribal Connectivity. NTIA oversees the Tribal Broadband
    Connectivity Program, which Congress appropriated $3 billion to support
    Tribal governments for deployment projects, telehealth, and online
    education opportunities. Roughly $1 billion in funding for this program
    is currently frozen.

        Question 1. Yes or no, will you commit to completing the Tribal
    Broadband Connectivity Program as it currently exists?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to implementing NTIA's statutory
    requirements, including with respect to the Tribal Broadband
    Connectivity Program.

        Question 2. Yes or no, will you continue to proceed with Round 2 of
    the Program, which is already in progress, and allow it to continue?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to implementing NTIA's statutory
    requirements, including with respect to the Tribal Broadband
    Connectivity Program.

        Broadband Infrastructure and Tribal Coordination. Through the
    broadband deployment projects it oversees, NTIA must prioritize strong
    coordination with Tribal communities in order to ensure that locations
    located on Tribal lands are connected.

        Question 1. Yes or no, do you agree that the Federal government
    must recognize Tribal sovereignty?
        Answer. I agree with your statement on the importance of
    coordination with Tribal communities. If confirmed, I would not be in a
    position to speak for the entire Federal government on the broad topic
    of Tribal sovereignty.

        Question 2. Yes or no, do you agree that it is the role of the
    Federal government, and in particular NTIA, to coordinate with Tribal
    governments on matters of broadband deployment that impacts Tribal
    lands and families?
        Answer. Yes, to the extent the coordination involves NTIA
    responsibilities.

        Question 3. Yes or no, will you commit to upholding requirements
    for states and Internet service providers participating in BEAD to
    consult with Tribal governments on broadband deployment to locations on
    Tribal lands?
        Answer. I commit to upholding statutory requirements for NTIA with
    respect to Tribal governments and Tribal lands.

        Question 4. Yes or no, will you continue to abide by the NTIA-FCC-
    Department of the Interior Tribal Spectrum memorandum of understanding
    (MOU)?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to reviewing this matter, and
    upholding NTIA's statutory requirements.

        Middle Mile Infrastructure Program. To date, NTIA has awarded
    nearly $980 million across 40 states and territories through the
    Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program. This Program
    funds projects to deploy future-proof fiber over nearly 12,500 miles,
    connecting over 7,000 anchor institutions.

        Question 1. Will you commit to completing the Enabling Middle Mile
    Broadband Infrastructure Program as it currently exists?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to implementing NTIA's statutory
    requirements, including with respect to the Enabling Middle Mile
    Broadband Infrastructure Program.

        Question 2. Will you commit to working expeditiously to ensure that
    funded projects are able to proceed to deploy fiber across the country?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to implementing NTIA's statutory
    requirements, including with respect to the Enabling Middle Mile
    Broadband Infrastructure Program.

        Innovation Fund. Authorized under the FY 2021 National Defense
    Authorization Act and funded through the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022,
    the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund is a 10-year, $1.5
    billion grant program will help drive wireless innovation, foster
    competition, and strengthen supply chain resilience. Around $814
    million remains unobligated. President Trump has recently called to
    roll back the CHIPS and Science Act, which funded this program.

        Question 1. Do you support the current funding opportunities
    announced and underway?
        Answer. I will uphold the law as enacted.

        Question 2. Will you commit to implementing these programs and to
    complete open funding rounds?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to implementing NTIA's statutory
    requirements, including with respect to the Public Wireless Supply
    Chain Innovation Fund.

        National Spectrum Strategy. In November 2023, the Biden
    Administration released the National Spectrum Strategy (NSS) that
    identifies over 2,700 megahertz of spectrum across five bands for study
    to determine the possibility of new, commercial uses. The NSS includes
    over 1,600 megahertz of midband spectrum, a range in high demand for
    next-generation wireless services.
        In the 118th Congress I led the effort to codify the NSS and a MOU
    between the FCC and NTIA on spectrum coordination--the Spectrum and
    National Security Act. The final version of this legislation reflected
    a negotiated agreement between the DOC, DoD, and the Joint Chiefs of
    Staff that preserved our national security, protected Federal
    incumbents, and advanced studies which would create a sustainable
    spectrum pipeline.

        Question 1. Do you believe that the United States needs a national
    spectrum strategy?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 2. Will you stand by the negotiated agreement between the
    DOC, DoD, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff?
        Answer. I was not part of the negotiated agreement between the DOC,
    DoD, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. However, if confirmed, I commit to
    reviewing it and obtain any classified briefings necessary for purposes
    of advising the Trump administration on this negotiated agreement among
    Biden administration officials.

        Question 3. What changes do you anticipate making to either the NSS
    or MOU between the FCC and NTIA?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to review both the NSS and MOU and
    get any needed classified briefing to determine if there should be any
    modification to agreements and strategy documents negotiated by the
    Biden administration.

        Question 4. Will you commit to adhering to the Memorandum on
    Modernizing United States Spectrum Policy and establishing a national
    spectrum strategy?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to implementing NTIA's statutory
    requirements. As I testified, spectrum will be a top priority of mine.

        Spectrum Pipeline Act. Ms. Roth, Chair Cruz introduced the Spectrum
    Pipeline Act last year, which would have required NTIA to identify 2500
    megahertz of Federal spectrum for reallocation and auction. I
    understand you worked on this bill.
        That bill did not require that national security or public safety
    be protected, nor did it require that any studies occur before the
    spectrum be auctioned.

        Question 1. Can you elaborate on why you believe requiring this
    spectrum reallocation without the results of any studies does not risk
    U.S. national security interests?
        Answer. I support protecting national security and public safety.
    If enacted, the Spectrum Pipeline Act would require NTIA to identify a
    certain quantity of spectrum for reallocation. In order to make this
    identification, consistent with current practice, NTIA would first
    conduct studies and consult with other Federal agencies to protect
    their critical missions.

        International Spectrum Leadership. NTIA is tasked with representing
    the United States' spectrum interests internationally. We have seen
    China's growth in spectrum use not only threaten the U.S. economically,
    but China also raises national security concerns. U.S. representation
    at the International Telecommunications Union and World Radio
    Conference are important fora to advance American interests in spectrum
    management and combat national security threats from China.

        Question 1. Will you commit to representing U.S. spectrum interests
    on the international stage to address concerns about China's spectrum
    use?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 2. Do you support a modernized approach on Federal
    spectrum policy that protects our communications networks against
    foreign adversaries?
        Answer. Yes.

        FirstNet. Congress established FirstNet as an independent authority
    within NTIA, which was tasked with managing and overseeing the
    implementation and execution of agreements to build, deploy, and
    operate a new nationwide broadband network dedicated for public safety
    use.
        FirstNet's statutory authority to operate expires in 2027 and will
    be a question for Congress and this Committee to consider.

        Question 1. How do you view the role of NTIA in managing and
    overseeing the FirstNet Authority?
        Answer. FirstNet is overseen by a board and has a unique position
    within the Department of Commerce. If confirmed, I will work to ensure
    that FirstNet delivers on the promise of enhancing public safety
    communications and is subject to appropriate oversight.

        Question 2. If confirmed, how will you address recommendations from
    the Inspector General contained in three audit reports and one
    management alert released in 2024?
        Answer. I take Inspector General recommendations seriously, and I
    look forward to reviewing those pertaining to FirstNet if confirmed.

        Question 3. If confirmed, would you commit to brief Committee
    members about the FirstNet contract and provisions, so that the
    Committee can better understand the relationship between AT&T and
    FirstNet in advance of the expiration of FirstNet authorization in
    2027?
        Answer. Yes.

        Spectrum Interference. At the March 27, 2025, Commerce Committee
    hearing with the National Transportation Safety Board, we heard that
    the Secret Service and U.S. Navy operated a spectrum jamming system
    that interfered with the terrain avoidance systems on aircraft landing
    at DCA. Several aircraft that were jammed received false warnings to
    take emergency action while landing--putting more people at risk.

        Question 1. How would you ensure that Federal agencies properly
    coordinate to prevent this kind of extremely dangerous activity from
    happening in the future? What specific steps would take to address this
    issue?
        Answer. Coordination among Federal agencies on the use of spectrum
    is critical for public safety. If confirmed, I will get briefings on
    this event that Chairman Cruz raised, and that the Acting FAA
    administrator confirmed, and will work with other Federal agencies to
    coordinate Federal spectrum use, consistent with NTIA's statutory role.

        Question 2. You have advocated for making vast amounts of Federal
    spectrum available for private sector use. How can we be sure that the
    Federal government can coordinate these kinds of complex activities
    with the private sector when it seems like this Administration is
    already struggling to coordinate within the government?
        Answer. If confirmed, I look forward to working with the FCC and
    other Federal agencies to coordinate Federal and non-federal use of
    spectrum, consistent with NTIA's statutory role. I will work to not
    only maintain but, where possible, improve NTIA's coordinating
    relationship with all Federal agencies to protect critical Federal
    missions.

        Question 3. If confirmed, will you commit to brief this Committee
    on the jamming incidents at DCA and any other jamming activity near
    U.S. airports or that would put the public at risk?
        Answer. Yes, if confirmed I will get briefings on this event and
    will brief the Committee on what I learn.

        Question 4. Do you believe that the FCC should have taken into
    account concerns about aviation safety from the FAA regarding 5G
    interference to airplane altimeters as part of the C-Band auction?
    Going forward how would you prevent a similar situations from occurring
    that could put aviation safety, national security, or public safety at
    risk?
        Answer. I agree that the FCC should take into account all harmful
    interference concerns presented, including those about aviation safety,
    before making a decision. If confirmed, I will uphold NTIA's statutory
    role in representing the view of the Executive Branch on spectrum
    matters before the FCC, including by maintaining clear and frequent
    channels of communication with the FCC.

        Question 5. What role do you believe NTIA has in coordinating with
    the FCC on spectrum related items before the Commission that involves
    commercial spectrum, but where there is a Federal interest or equity?
    What do you think the FCC's responsibility is to take NTIA's concerns
    into account in these proceedings?
        Answer. NTIA is responsible for communicating the position of
    Executive Branch agencies on spectrum matters before the FCC. The FCC
    is responsible for managing and licensing non-federal spectrum,
    consistent with its statutory requirements.

        Conflicts of Interest_Starlink. Elon Musk is the founder and CEO of
    Starlink and the richest man in the world. He is also playing a leading
    role in the Trump White House and the so-called Department of
    Government Efficiency (DOGE). I have serious concerns about the
    alarming conflicts of interest that appear to be mounting between Mr.
    Musk and the Trump Administration.

        Question 1. Ms. Roth, you are a lawyer. Do you agree there would be
    at least the appearance of a conflict of interest if the DOC changed
    the BEAD program and additional funds were directed to Musk's Starlink
    as a result?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to act impartially in carrying out
    the BEAD program, consistent with the IIJA as enacted.

        Question 2. If confirmed, what specific actions above and beyond
    the minimum requirements will you take to give Americans confidence
    there are no conflicts of interest in the BEAD program and Musk's
    Starlink?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to acting impartially in carrying
    out the BEAD program, consistent with the IIJA as enacted.

        Question 3. Do you think it's appropriate to consign hardworking
    families in rural and Tribal communities to worse service that is more
    expensive, while Mr. Musk benefits financially?
        Answer. No, this would be a bad outcome. If confirmed, I will work
    to deliver the best broadband service possible to all Americans,
    consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 4. Have you ever met, been on a call, or otherwise
    interacted with Elon Musk? If so, please detail each such instance,
    including the date and topic of the engagement.
        Answer. No.

        Question 5. Have you ever discussed Elon Musk's perspective on the
    BEAD program with anyone associated with SpaceX or the Trump
    Administration? If so, please detail each such instance, including the
    date, individuals involved, and perspectives conveyed.
        Answer. As the telecommunications policy director for Chairman Cruz
    on the Senate Commerce Committee, I have taken meetings with numerous
    stakeholders, including SpaceX, on the implementation of the BEAD
    program. In the course of those meetings, Mr. Musk's perspective on the
    BEAD program was never discussed.

        Tariffs and Effect on BEAD. President Trump's tariffs are driving
    up the cost of living for consumers and causing uncertainty for
    American businesses. As you know, communications service providers
    depend on a global supply chain for their network components. A recent
    Price Waterhouse Coopers study found that proposed tariffs could raise
    costs in the telecommunications and technology sectors by $126 billion.

        Question 1. Yes or no. Do you agree that this administration's
    proposed tariffs will increase the cost to deploy these networks as
    well increase the cost consumers will pay for high-speed internet?
        Answer. I am committed to carrying out the BEAD program in an
    expeditious, efficient, and effective manner. As I am the NTIA nominee
    and not being considered for a Senate-confirmed position on trade
    policy, I am not in a position to speculate on this issue.

        Question 2. If confirmed, you would be the President's principal
    advisor on telecommunications policy. How would you advise the
    President about this important issue?
        Answer. I would want to confer with experts at NTIA before advising
    the President on this issue.

        Digital Equity Grants. Congress intended to not only establish a
    once-in-a-generation investment in broadband infrastructure, but also
    to ensure individuals and communities have the skills necessary to take
    advantage of the digital opportunities created by high-speed Internet
    connectivity. One example is how the State of Washington is developing
    a cybersecurity literacy program to ensure Washingtonians have the
    necessary skills to protect themselves from cyber criminals.

        Question 1. Will you commit to fully and swiftly implementing the
    Digital Equity Act and its focus on all of the core targets identified
    in the statute, including rural Americans, seniors, and veterans?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to implementing NTIA's statutory
    requirements, including with respect to the Digital Equity Act.

        Question 2. Can you commit not to leave any of the statutory
    ``covered populations'' outlined in the Digital Equity Act behind and
    implement the Act fully, as intended by Congress?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to implementing NTIA's statutory
    requirements, including with respect to the Digital Equity Act.

        Question 1. If the president ordered you to do something illegal,
    would you refuse?
        Answer. I would not violate the law, and I do not believe the
    president would ever ask me to do so.

        Question 2. Do you believe the Executive Branch must comply with
    lawful court orders?
        Answer. Yes.

        Department of Government Efficiency. In March 2016, you wrote an
    article titled, ``How the FCC Betrayed America's Faith in the Rule of
    Law'' in which you asserted: ``We Americans generally have faith that
    our government operates according to legal authority and predictable
    rules. If a government-authorized camera records our car exceeding a
    speed limit, we pay the penalty because we have faith that proper
    procedures were followed. Our faith is tested when a government agency
    is found to have operated outside of the rule of law.'' A Federal court
    has ruled that DOGE likely acted in violation of the U.S. Constitution
    ``in multiple ways.''

        Question 1. Given the views expressed in your March 2016 article
    and the Federal court ruling that DOGE is likely violating the U.S.
    Constitution, do you agree that Americans should not have faith in the
    actions taken by DOGE? Why or why not?
        Answer. I have been nominated to NTIA and have been focused on
    NTIA's mission and responsibilities, not the work of DOGE.

        Question 2. If confirmed, will you permit DOGE to access to the
    NTIA's records, systems, and data, including those related to the BEAD
    program?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will comply with all records, systems, and
    data requirements, including those related to the BEAD program.

        Question 3. If DOGE recommended a reduction-in-force at NTIA, would
    you refuse to carry one out, if confirmed?
        Answer. NTIA has many talented career staff, some of whom I've had
    the privilege to work with. As I have not yet been confirmed, it would
    be inappropriate for me to opine on the staffing needs of the agency.

        Independent Agencies. In the same March 2016 article, you also were
    critical of President Obama, claiming he had ``undermined any pretense
    of independence at the FCC'' when he posted a speech on YouTube
    discussing the regulation of broadband service providers. You also
    asserted ``[i]t is incumbent on our government to do better in
    following basic administrative law and affirming the autonomy of
    independent agencies.''

        Question 1. Given these past statements, aren't you concerned by
    the Trump Administration's unprecedented actions to undermine
    independent agencies like the FCC? If not, please explain why your
    position has changed since March 2016.
        Answer. I have been nominated to NTIA, which is part of the
    Executive Branch and not an independent agency. As such, I have been
    focused on NTIA's mission and responsibilities, not those of the FCC.

        First Amendment. You worked at the FCC as a legal advisor to
    Commissioner Mike O'Rielly. As you know, his nomination was withdrawn
    by President Trump in August 2020, five days after he gave a speech to
    the Media Institute, in which he said: ``The First Amendment protects
    us from limits on speech imposed by the government--not private
    actors--and we should all reject demands, in the name of the First
    Amendment, for private actors to curate or publish speech in a certain
    way. Like it or not, the First Amendment's protections apply to
    corporate entities, especially when they engage in editorial decision
    making. I shudder to think of a day in which the Fairness Doctrine
    could be reincarnated for the Internet, especially at the ironic behest
    of so-called free speech `defenders.' It is time to stop allowing
    purveyors of First Amendment gibberish to claim they support more
    speech, when their actions make clear that they would actually curtail
    it through government action. These individuals demean and denigrate
    the values of our Constitution and must be held accountable for their
    doublespeak and dishonesty. This institution and its members have long
    been unwavering in defending the First Amendment, and it is the duty of
    each of us to continue to uphold this precious protection.''

        Question 1. Do you agree with Commissioner O'Rielly's statement
    about what the First Amendment means?
        Answer. I support upholding the First Amendment. I agree that
    corporate entities have First Amendment rights, the extent and breadth
    of which depends on the context.

        Border Gateway Protocol. Ms. Roth, the Office of the National Cyber
    Director released the Roadmap to Enhancing Internet Routing Security in
    September of 2024. Among the recommendations in the report were
    enhancements to Internet routing security and in particular,
    enhancements to the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).

        Question 1. Ms. Roth, if confirmed would you commit to working with
    the interagency to enhance Internet routing security, and addressing
    vulnerabilities to BGP?
        Answer. If confirmed, I look forward to studying the roadmap you
    reference and consulting with NTIA's career staff on addressing such
    vulnerabilities.

        Question 2. Ms. Roth, do you think it's important for Federal
    agencies to use Route Origin Authorizations (ROA)? Do you think
    commercial websites should use ROAs? Please explain the importance of
    ROAs in preventing BGP hijacking.
        Answer. If confirmed, I look forward to studying this issue closely
    and consulting with NTIA's career staff on this topic.

        Management Experience. Ms. Roth, NTIA is a large agency with
    complex programs. A key part of the position to which you are nominated
    is being a leader and convener who builds consensus among diverse
    viewpoints. I'd like to hear a bit more about your relevant management
    experience.

        Question 1. Please detail an example of a complex project you
    managed successfully and explain how that experience positions you to
    succeed leading NTIA, if confirmed.
        Answer. Managing a household of seven and raising five young
    children while working full-time in a high-pressure position has been a
    complex project. It has also taught me about managing different
    personalities and needs, which I believe will serve me well in leading
    NTIA if confirmed. In the government context, I am also accustomed to
    working on complex projects and building consensus among diverse
    viewpoints. For example, I manage staff on a daily basis as the head of
    telecommunications policy for the Majority. And at the Federal
    Communications Commission, I worked in the front office of the Wireline
    Competition Bureau and was responsible for ensuring career staff,
    including attorneys, economists, and engineers, as well as staff in the
    commissioners' offices could all share their perspective and agree on
    how to resolve difficult issues.

        Question 2. Please provide an example where you built consensus
    among diverse viewpoints to achieve a beneficial outcome.
        Answer. To pass the Blunt-Wyden Low Power Protection Act (PL 117-
    344), I worked to build consensus among diverse viewpoints of
    stakeholders in the telecom industry that have not traditionally been
    aligned. These efforts paid off, as the bill was signed into law in
    January 2023.

        Question 3. What's the largest team you have managed? How many
    people reported to you?
        Answer. As Chairman Cruz's Policy Director for Telecommunications
    on Senate Commerce, I manage a team of five staff. As a legal advisor
    in the Wireline Competition Bureau of the Federal Communications
    Commission, I was responsible for building consensus and ensuring
    timely delivery of work across 155 full-time employees.

        Question 4. Have you ever hired someone? If so, how many people?
        Answer. Yes. In my career on the Hill, I have been involved in the
    hiring decisions for numerous persons.

        Question 5. Have you ever fired someone? If so, how many people?
        Answer. Fortunately, I have never needed to fire anyone.

        Cyber Security. Ms. Roth, the United States has been under
    increasing cyber-attacks by hostile foreign powers, notably China and
    Russia. Last year, Chinese hackers as part of the Salt Typhoon attack,
    hacked into U.S. telecom networks and monitored phone calls and text
    messages, targeting prominent figures including J.D. Vance.

        Question 1. If confirmed you will be the President's lead advisor
    on telecommunications policy. What is NTIA's role in mitigating attacks
    like Salt Typhoon, and what should NTIA do to help prevent future
    attacks?
        Answer. Salt Typhoon was a massive penetration of our country's
    communications networks, and it is important to plug any
    vulnerabilities to prevent future attacks. Although NTIA does not have
    regulatory authority, it can play a key role in policy development,
    advocacy, and information sharing with respect to cybersecurity. NTIA
    can also help mitigate future attacks through its work on supply chain
    security and working with other agencies that develop cybersecurity
    standards and best practices.

        Question 2. What steps can U.S. telecommunication providers take to
    harden their networks to make them more resistant to cyber-attacks in
    the future?
        Answer. Salt Typhoon was a massive penetration of our country's
    communications networks, and it is important to plug any
    vulnerabilities to prevent future attacks. If confirmed, I look forward
    to working with NTIA's staff and other Federal agencies to develop and
    promote standards and best practices for cybersecurity.

        Question 3. How can NTIA enable the use of non-deployment funds
    from the BEAD program, funds from the Digital Equity program capacity
    and competitive programs, and the Tribal Broadband Connectivity program
    to enhance cyber security skills to make our companies and communities
    more resistant and resilient to these types of attacks?
        Answer. If confirmed, I look forward to consulting with NTIA's
    career staff to determine what authorities NTIA has under the law to
    promote cybersecurity through these programs.
                                     ______

        Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Brian Schatz to
                                  Arielle Roth
        The Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program (``Middle
    Mile'') is enabling Hawaii to expand broadband infrastructure between
    islands and across the state. The uninterrupted continuation of
    projects funded by Middle Mile is critical to enhancing support for
    critical infrastructure sectors--including defense, transportation,
    energy, and telecommunications, among others--on time and efficiently.

        Question 1. Will you commit to continued support for the Middle
    Mile program, including ensuring the timely distribution of funds and
    communications to project sponsors?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to implementing NTIA's statutory
    requirements, including with respect to the Enabling Middle Mile
    Broadband Infrastructure Program.
        The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program
    represents a historic investment in broadband access, including for
    Hawaii, which will see a total of $149.5 million under this program.
    Earlier this month, Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick
    announced that the agency will review the BEAD program with the
    intention of potentially reforming certain requirements.

        Question 2. What changes do you believe need to be made to the BEAD
    program under your leadership?

        Question 3. What metrics will you apply to assess the effectiveness
    of the BEAD program?

        Question 4. Will you commit to ensuring that any potential
    modifications to the BEAD program will not impact state planning work,
    including forcing states to re-do work that has already been completed
    at this stage?

        Question 5. Will you commit to ensuring that potential
    modifications to the BEAD program will not delay state project
    timelines?
        Answer. Connecting every American to broadband is my top priority.
    If confirmed, I look forward to working with Secretary Lutnick and NTIA
    staff to expedite the BEAD program, get funding to the states, and
    expand broadband buildout, consistent with the law. The best metric of
    BEAD's effectiveness is its record of expeditiously increasing
    broadband access in unserved communities. If confirmed, I look forward
    to working with NTIA's career staff and state broadband offices to cut
    red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, to avoid further delays and
    minimize work for states, consistent with the law.
        In Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's announcement
    regarding review of the BEAD program, he stated the agency's interest
    in cutting ``. . . government red tape that slows down infrastructure
    construction.'' To that end, NTIA's waiver authority could be a tool
    used in addressing the streamlining of certain approvals.

        Question 6. How do you view the NTIA's waiver authority, and in
    what circumstances would you feel it is appropriate to exercise this
    authority with regard to the BEAD program?
        Answer. I agree that issuing waivers where appropriate can be a
    tool in streamlining the BEAD program and speeding the deployment of
    broadband to Americans--the ultimate goal of the program. Although the
    appropriate circumstances for issuing a waiver depends on the specific
    context, as a general matter, I would look favorably on waivers that
    would speed the deployment of broadband consistent with the law. If
    confirmed, I look forward to consulting with NTIA's career staff and
    legal counsel on this issue.
        At the state level, we understand that some documentation
    requirements could have an opportunity for streamlining. For example,
    deployment requirements related to Letters of Credit for contractors
    may not be appropriate in all situations, and updated guidance along
    these lines could be helpful to increase the speed of deployment and
    potentially reduce costs. For example, Letters of Credit may not always
    be most effective in ensuring security due to funding being
    reimbursable rather than provided in advance, and can make it harder
    for smaller companies to compete.

        Question 7. Will you commit to working with states to address and
    integrate feedback for Letter of Credit guidance?
        Yes, I look forward to working with states on this issue if
    confirmed.
        It is critical that the United States continues to uphold its trust
    responsibility to Tribal and Native communities.

        Question 8. Please provide a description of your understanding of
    the Federal trust responsibility to American Indians, Alaska Natives,
    and Native Hawaiians, and how that necessitates continuance of programs
    that directly and indirectly serve these communities.

        Question 9. As NTIA Director, will you commit to upholding this
    trust responsibility?

        Question 10. If confirmed, will you commit to maintaining the
    Tribal Consent requirements under the BEAD program as a necessary
    condition of state awards if projects implicate Tribal lands?

        Question 11. Will you commit to maintaining the Tribal Advisory
    Committee at NTIA?
        Answer. I commit to upholding statutory requirements for NTIA with
    respect to Tribal and Native communities and the United States' trust
    responsibilities. I welcome the opportunity to work with your office on
    the issue of NTIA's trust responsibility to Tribal and Native
    communities, so I can learn more about these issues. If confirmed, I
    commit to working with NTIA's staff on issues regarding the Tribal
    Advisory Committee and do not intend or plan to dissolve the committee.
        Many Tribes awarded 2.5 GHz spectra under the Federal
    Communications Commission (FCC) rural priority window over 4 years ago
    are under tight buildout and service deadlines that must be met to keep
    these licenses. NTIA's TBCP Round 2 awards are one of the sole sources
    of funds directly available to Tribes to build the networks and
    services needed to meet these deadlines and close the digital divide. I
    am concerned that Tribes could lose these licenses if any awards you
    will oversee are delayed or clawed back.

        Question 12. Will you commit to getting TBCP Round 2 awards out the
    door and prevent the fraud, waste, and abuse that will certainly happen
    if these awards are delayed?

        Question 13. Will you commit to proactively engaging with the FCC
    to make the connection between these two programs and ensuring that
    timelines for TBCP Round 2 funds do not negatively impact corresponding
    timelines for recipients under the 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Program?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to implementing NTIA's statutory
    requirements, including with respect to the Tribal Broadband
    Connectivity Program, and coordinating with the FCC in a timely manner.
        On December 5, 2024, the Department of Commerce Office of the
    Inspector General released a report which included 11 recommendations
    to NTIA for improvising FirstNet Authority's management of the
    Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network. At the time, NTIA had
    concurred with all 11 recommendations.

        Question 14. Will you commit to the expeditious and complete
    implementation of the 11 recommendations outlined in the report?

        Question 15. Will you commit to ensuring that FirstNet continues
    its progress toward ensuring that the unique disaster planning needs of
    non-contiguous states, including Hawaii, are addressed?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work with the Inspector General to
    ensure that FirstNet is subject to appropriate oversight and proper
    management. I will also work to ensure FirstNet delivers on the promise
    of enhancing public safety communications throughout the country,
    including in non-contiguous states like Hawaii.
        The NTIA played a critical role to work with the National Oceanic
    and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and
    Space Administration (NASA) to ensure their continued use of the 24 GHz
    band to monitor water vapor. Simply put, this band allows observers
    like NOAA, NASA, and their contractors to determine the amount of water
    vapor in the atmosphere--which increases the reliability of weather
    forecasts.

        Question 16. What are your plans to work with NOAA, NASA, and other
    government agencies to preserve their specific spectrum needs?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work with all Federal agencies to
    ensure that their spectrum needs are addressed. I will work to not only
    maintain but, where possible, improve NTIA's coordinating relationship
    with all Federal agencies, including NOAA and NASA, to protect critical
    Federal missions.
        Unlicensed spectrum usage and the availability of Wi-Fi play
    critical roles in enabling innovation and connectivity.

        Question 17. As NTIA Director, how will you factor the value of Wi-
    Fi when evaluating spectrum management decisions?
        Answer. I agree that unlicensed spectrum usage and Wi-Fi play
    critical roles in enabling innovation and connectivity. However, power
    levels and licensing rules for commercial spectrum are generally
    decisions within the FCC's domain, not NTIA's.
                                     ______

       Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Edward Markey to
                                  Arielle Roth
    Artificial Intelligence:
        Question 1. From AI accountability to data center growth to
    auditing for trustworthy AI systems, NTIA has been investigating and
    providing recommendations on some of the most complicated issues to
    ensure that AI innovation does not come at the expense of our trust,
    safety, and environment. If confirmed, what are your plans to address
    issues related to emerging technologies and artificial intelligence?
        Answer. AI is becoming an increasingly important part of the
    Internet economy. While AI has the potential to deliver tremendous
    benefits to consumers, it also comes with risks. If confirmed, I will
    work to ensure that we lead the world on AI, and harness AI to promote
    economic competitiveness, national security, and human flourishing.

        Question 2. In September 2024, NTIA released a request for comments
    on U.S. data center growth to meet the demand from artificial
    intelligence and other emerging technologies. If confirmed, what is
    your plan for NTIA to address the electricity demand for U.S. data
    center growth?
        Answer. I agree that AI has resulted in greater demand on data
    centers. It is unclear to me what, if any, authority NTIA has over
    electricity demand, but if confirmed, I welcome the opportunity to work
    with NTIA's staff and your office on this important issue.

        Question 3. NTIA recently released a report noting the benefits of
    open-source AI and has also concluded that the Federal government
    should invest in monitoring and testing AI for harms. Do you agree with
    these recommendations?
        Answer. I have not had an opportunity to familiarize myself with
    this report but I look forward to reviewing it and hearing from career
    staff at NTIA on how they came to their recommendations.

        Question 4. In March 2024, NTIA released an extensive report on AI
    accountability, risk, and trustworthiness. The report provided guidance
    and multiple recommendations for the Federal government on how to
    ensure the growth of an artificial intelligence accountability
    framework and to address risks. Do you support this guidance and these
    recommendations?
        Answer. I have not had an opportunity to familiarize myself with
    this report but I look forward to reviewing it and hearing from career
    staff at NTIA on how they came to their guidance and recommendations.
    Algorithmic Discrimination:
        Question 5. Do you believe that bias and discriminatory artificial
    intelligence is a problem?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 6. If confirmed, what is your plan to address biased and
    discriminatory artificial intelligence, especially in critical areas
    such as health care, education, employment, and criminal justice?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to ensure that we harness AI to
    promote human flourishing for all Americans.

        Question 7. What guardrails should there be for the Federal
    government's use of AI tools and other technologies, and what is NTIA's
    role in the development of such guardrails?
        Answer. As I have been nominated to NTIA, I cannot speak to the use
    of AI tools and technologies across other government agencies. If
    confirmed, I would consult with the expert staff at NTIA and legal
    counsel on NTIA's role on this matter.

        Question 8. Do you believe that a company has an obligation to
    test, address, or measure its algorithms before deployment in order to
    determine whether it discriminates or is biased against protected
    characteristics?
        Answer. This is not an issue that I have previously delved into. If
    confirmed, I would be honored to work with your office to learn more.

        Question 9. Do you believe that a company has an obligation to
    monitor its algorithms after deployment in order to determine whether
    it discriminates based on protected characteristics?
        Answer. This is not an issue that I have previously delved into. If
    confirmed, I would be honored to work with your office to learn more.

        Question 10. Do you support the White House Office of Science and
    Technology Policy's Blueprint for an AI Bills of Rights?
        Answer. I have not had an opportunity to review the Blueprint but
    look forward to looking into it.
    Closing the Digital Divide:
        Question 11. Do you support closing the digital divide for low-
    income people?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 12. Do you support closing the digital divide for elderly
    individuals?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 13. Do you support closing the digital divide for
    incarcerated individuals?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 14. Do you support closing the digital divide for
    veterans?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 15. Do you support closing the digital divide for
    individuals with disabilities?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 16. Do you support closing the digital divide for
    individuals with a language barrier?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 17. Do you support closing the digital divide for
    individuals who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 18. Do you support closing the digital divide for people
    who primarily reside in a rural area?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 19. If confirmed, what is your plan to close the digital
    divide in our country?
        Answer. Congress has directed NTIA to play a role in promoting
    broadband affordability by administering broadband programs like BEAD.
    NTIA can also help to reduce unnecessary permitting burdens that can
    increase the cost of providing broadband and expand commercial spectrum
    access, which in turn increases both mobile and broadband competition,
    driving down costs for consumers.
        If confirmed, I will work to implement NTIA's broadband funding
    programs consistent with the law and expand spectrum access consistent
    with national security and the needs of other Federal agencies.

        Question 20. If confirmed, what is your plan to close the digital
    divide for Indigenous people?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to implementing NTIA's statutory
    requirements, including with respect to the Tribal Broadband
    Connectivity Program and other broadband funding programs, and will
    work to expand spectrum access consistent with national security and
    the needs of other Federal agencies.

        Question 21. If confirmed, what is your plan to close the digital
    divide for students?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to implement NTIA's broadband
    funding programs consistent with the law and expand spectrum access
    consistent with national security and the needs of other Federal
    agencies.
    Digital Equity Act
        Question 22. Do you believe that the Digital Equity Act is
    constitutional?
        Answer. Making sure Americans have the resources and skills they
    need to participate in the digital economy was part of the IIJA and I
    will follow the law.
        If confirmed, I commit to implementing NTIA's statutory
    requirements, including with respect to the Digital Equity Act.
        I would defer to the Department of Justice on constitutional
    matters.

        Question 23. Will you commit to ensuring the projects already
    recommended for a Digital Equity Act award can move forward and begin
    their work to ensure residents in their communities can get and stay
    connected to the Internet safely?
        Answer. Making sure Americans have the resources and skills they
    need to participate in the digital economy was part of the IIJA and I
    will follow the law.
    Free Speech and Technology:
        Question 24. Do you believe it is constitutional to ban children
    and/or teens from social media?
        Answer. I would defer to the Department of Justice on this
    constitutional matter. As the nominee to head NTIA, this is not an
    issue that I would see within my remit.

        Question 25. Do you believe that a social media platform's
    algorithmic ranking of content constitutes the speech of the platform?
        Answer. I would defer to the Department of Justice on this
    constitutional matter. As the nominee to head NTIA, this is not an
    issue that I would see within my remit.

        Question 26. Do you believe that a social media platform's content
    moderation decisions constitute the speech of the platform?
        Answer. I would defer to the Department of Justice on this
    constitutional matter. As the nominee to head NTIA, this is not an
    issue that I would see within my remit.

        Question 27. Do you believe that private communications between
    employees of the Federal government and social media platforms related
    to content moderation decisions or rules and the algorithmic ranking of
    content can violate the rights of the platform's users? If so, please
    describe the circumstances and/or conditions under which those
    communications would be unconstitutional?
        Answer. I would defer to the Department of Justice on this
    constitutional matter. As the nominee to head NTIA, this is not an
    issue that I would see within my remit.

        Question 28. Do you believe that formal actions by Federal agencies
    to investigate the content moderation decisions or rules or algorithmic
    ranking of content on social media platforms could be unconstitutional?
    If so, please describe the circumstances and/or conditions under which
    those actions would be unconstitutional?
        Answer. I would defer to the Department of Justice on this
    constitutional matter. As the nominee to head NTIA, this is not an
    issue that I would see within my remit.

        Question 29. Do you support the repeal of Section 230 of the
    Communications Decency Act?
        Answer. That is a matter for Congress to decide. If confirmed, I
    will abide by the law.

        Question 30. Do you believe that the Federal Communications
    Commission has authority to issue interpretative guidance or conduct a
    rulemaking interpreting on Section 230 of the Communications Decency
    Act?
        Answer. This is a question that would be more appropriately
    addressed to the FCC, not the NTIA nominee.
                                     ______

        Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Gary Peters to
                                  Arielle Roth
        A key part of NTIA's role is coordinating and advocating on Federal
    spectrum use. This goes beyond just key national security uses at the
    Department of Defense--other agencies retain certain bands for public
    safety applications that must be protected. One such band is 5.9, also
    known as Auto Safety Spectrum, which is overseen by the Department of
    Transportation.
        This band allows for the deployment of safety technologies
    including cellular vehicle-to-everything technology that enables
    collision avoidance, faster emergency response times, school bus
    alerts, freight efficiency improvement, and more. In 2020, some of this
    spectrum was allocated away from these safety purposes, which will
    reduce roadway safety long term. That can't happen again.

        Question 1. If confirmed, will you commit to protecting the
    remaining auto safety spectrum for roadway safety innovation like
    cellular vehicle-to-everything technology?
        Answer. If confirmed, I pledge to work with all Federal agencies on
    their use of spectrum, including the Department of Transportation, to
    protect public safety.
        Michigan's High Speed Internet Office, also known as ``Mi-Hi,'' has
    been one of the most effective state offices in carrying out the BEAD
    program--beginning from a highly successful mapping and comprehensive
    challenge process. They are on the cusp of closing their subgrantee
    process wherein they will identify the companies who will build out
    broadband connecting every single Michigander to reliable internet.

        Question 2. Will you commit to meeting with ``Mi-Hi'' to understand
    my state's needs if you are confirmed?
        Answer. Yes.
        As you know, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law authorized over $48
    billion in total funding for NTIA's programs expanding broadband
    access. Aside from the BEAD program, Michigan has already been awarded
    $61 million through the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure
    Program and $38.7 million in expected funding through the Digital
    Equity Act. Applicants for the DEA Competitive Grant have submitted
    strong proposals that will increase economic opportunity in low-income
    communities--like Human I-T's repurposing of used technology and Life
    Remodeled's construction of Opportunity Hubs for Detroiters--but the
    review process has been stalled.

        Question 3. If confirmed, will you commit to releasing the full
    amount of these congressionally-approved funds?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to release congressionally
    authorized funds to all states, including Michigan, consistent with
    NTIA's statutory authority.
                                     ______

       Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Tammy Baldwin to
                                  Arielle Roth
        Question 1. Describe any proactive approach you will take at NTIA
    to support American workers, manufacturers, and businesses, including
    through broadband infrastructure implementation?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will do everything I can to support
    American workers, manufacturers, businesses, consumers, and taxpayers
    to deploy broadband expeditiously. I commit to looking into this issue
    if confirmed and I look forward to supporting the twin goals of speedy
    broadband deployment and an American manufacturing renaissance.

        Question 2. The Digital Equity Act Program, created in the
    Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was established to ensure every American
    can have the skills and technology needed to participate in today's
    digital economy. In January 2025, NTIA recommended 65 projects across
    the country for competitive grant awards, including two for Wisconsin.
        The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee was recommended an
    award of nearly $10 million to improve accessibility to computers for
    youth, provide technical training for students, establish adult digital
    literacy classes, and more. The Boys and Girls Club of Greater
    Milwaukee has yet to receive those funds, and my office's attempts to
    receive more information from NTIA have been stonewalled.
        If confirmed, will you commit to ensuring these committed dollars
    get out the door without additional delay?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to expeditiously release
    congressionally authorized funds to all states, including Wisconsin,
    consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.
                                     ______

        Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Jacky Rosen to
                                  Arielle Roth
        Question 1. Digital Equity Competitive Grant: Clark County, Nevada,
    is poised to receive $10.7 million through the Digital Equity Act
    Competitive Grant program for a comprehensive project that will provide
    critical job-related digital skills training, particularly for
    underserved communities, youth, and small business owners. This
    investment will directly translate to economic opportunities for Clark
    County residents and businesses.

        a. Will you commit to preserving and fully implementing programs
    created under the Digital Equity Act, ensuring that communities like
    Clark County can continue to benefit from these vital resources that
    help small businesses and seniors?

        b. Would you consider projects that teach seniors digital skills,
    like how to avoid common scams online, an important use of funds under
    this program?

        c. Would you consider projects that teach small businesses how to
    set up websites and engage on e-commerce an important use of funds
    under this program?

        d. Would you consider projects that teach AI skills, like how to
    use AI tools safely and how to spot AI deepfakes, an important use of
    funds under this program?
        Answer. These are all relevant and important skills for seniors,
    small businesses, and others to develop in the 21st century. I also
    appreciate your voice and position on this topic given your experience
    in computer programming. Making sure Americans have the resources and
    skills they need to participate in the digital economy was part of the
    IIJA and I will follow the law. If confirmed, I commit to implementing
    NTIA's statutory requirements, including with respect to the Digital
    Equity Act.

        Question 2. National Spectrum Strategy Implementation: NTIA is
    supposed to be the arm of the Executive Branch, that coordinates
    spectrum for use by the Federal government, including the military.
    NTIA's work is critical because it seeks to ensure the most efficient
    use of spectrum for agency needs, and it should work in concert with
    the Federal Communications Commission to assess whether re-allocating
    Federal spectrum to non-Federal use is feasible. NTIA, under President
    Biden, put forth a National Spectrum Strategy (NSS) that sought to
    develop a ``spectrum pipeline to ensure U.S. leadership in advanced and
    emerging technologies.'' I am concerned, though, this Administration
    does not prioritize robust spectrum policy, considering that the
    interagency process has broken down in recent years, reaching its nadir
    during the first Trump Administration.

        a. If confirmed, how will you advance NTIA's mission of
    coordinating Federal use of this finite resource and ensure the Federal
    government speaks with one voice?

        b Will you commit to advancing the work of the NSS and developing a
    spectrum pipeline?

        c. Will you commit to updating this Committee every three months on
    your progress in supporting efforts to balance spectrum needs and
    optimize Federal uses?
        Answer. I agree that advancing a spectrum pipeline to promote U.S.
    leadership in advanced and emerging technologies, as intended by the
    NSS, must remain a key priority for our country. I also agree that this
    requires a robust and successful interagency coordination process. As
    mandated in its enabling statute, NTIA is the coordinator of Federal
    spectrum and is in charge of coordinating the executive branch's
    position on spectrum issues. If confirmed, I pledge to abide by NTIA's
    statutory role on spectrum and making Federal spectrum use as efficient
    as possible, consistent with national security and public safety. Upon
    confirmation, I will confer with NTIA staff on the status of the
    agency's spectrum studies. I also pledge to maintain open channels with
    Congress on NTIA's spectrum work and to update this Committee on the
    agency's progress on a quarterly basis.

        Question 3. NTIA Coordination and Commercial Certainty: Under the
    previous Trump Administration, we saw NTIA fail to properly coordinate
    Federal use of spectrum, with the Federal Communications Commission
    auctioning off multiple bands over the objections of key agencies like
    the Department of Defense, Federal Aviation Administration, and NASA.
    The lack of coordination and communication between Federal agencies,
    the NTIA, and the FCC led to billions in lawsuits, unusable licenses,
    and delays in deployment of commercial networks.

        a. If confirmed, how will you ensure the NTIA coordinates across
    Federal agencies and works with the FCC to provide certainty to
    commercial spectrum users that if there is an auction of licenses or
    current licenses are approved for new uses, the decision has been
    through a robust consultation process with Federal agencies with
    impacted equities?
        Answer. There should always be a robust coordination process with
    impacted Federal agencies. As mandated in its enabling statute, NTIA is
    the coordinator of Federal spectrum and is in charge of communicating
    the executive branch's position on spectrum issues. If confirmed, I
    pledge to abide by NTIA's statutory role on spectrum, work closely with
    other Federal agencies to ensure critical Federal missions are
    protected, and maintain clear and frequent communications with the FCC
    in communicating the views of the executive branch.

        Question 4. Nevada's Approved BEAD Final Proposal: Over two months
    ago, NTIA approved Nevada's Final BEAD Proposal, and the NIST grants
    officer who administers the funding also signed off on the proposal
    weeks ago.

        a. Given that Nevada's Final Proposal has been fully approved, when
    can we expect Nevada's BEAD funding to be disbursed?

        b. Is it the Administration's intention to require states with
    approved final proposals, like Nevada and Louisiana, to restart their
    entire BEAD process, and would you support this?

        c. Is it the Administration's intention to make states with
    approved final proposals, like Nevada and Louisiana, re-bid or re-do
    their entire selection process, and would you support this?
        Answer. As I have not yet been confirmed, I have not been made
    privy to the Administration's intention on BEAD for states with
    approved proposals. However, connecting every American to broadband
    expeditiously is my top priority, and I agree that the Department must
    move quickly to disburse funding to Nevada, consistent with the law. If
    confirmed, I look forward to working with Secretary Lutnick and NTIA
    staff to expedite the BEAD program, get funding to the states, and
    expand broadband buildout, consistent with the law. I look forward to
    working with NTIA's career staff and state broadband offices to cut red
    tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, to avoid further delays and minimize
    work for states, consistent with the law.

        Question 5. NTIA Approvals under the IIJA: As you stated in your
    confirmation hearing, you are committed to following the law. Are you
    aware of any part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law--which I helped
    write, along with other members of this Committee--that gives the NTIA
    the authority to withdraw approval for a plan or require a resubmission
    AFTER it has already approved the proposal?
        Answer. If confirmed and the issue of withdrawing an already
    approved proposal were to come up, I would consult with legal counsel
    and NTIA's career staff. I am not currently aware of a specific
    provision in the IIJA on this point.

        Question 6. BEAD Delays under this Administration: Secretary
    Lutnick has said that the Trump Administration wants to ``get rid of
    the delays'' in the BEAD program. And in Nevada, we have providers
    ready to build tomorrow and can have people connected by the end of the
    summer, but are waiting for Nevada's funding to be released. Last week,
    Chairman Cruz, along with 12 Republican members of this Committee sent
    a letter, calling for moving this program forward ``without any more
    delay caused by unnecessary government interference.'' Requiring states
    to re-bid with new guidance would delay buildout in Nevada, at minimum,
    another 15-18 months.

        a. How does delaying Nevada's BEAD funding and buildout align with
    the Administration's purported goal to eliminate delays?

        b. Across the country, states have collectively spent over $100
    million on planning, working with providers, bidding projects, and
    selecting final projects. Ms. Roth, would it be FAST or EFFICIENT to
    require states like Nevada and Louisiana to scrap that work and restart
    the bidding process under completely different rules?
        Answer. It seemingly would not be ``fast or efficient'' to throw
    away that work and restart the process from scratch. Connecting every
    American to broadband expeditiously is my top priority. I understand
    the frustration with the delay in getting funding to your state. It is
    unfortunate that the previous Administration spent three years on
    administrative tasks instead of focusing on getting shovels into the
    ground. However, I believe the short-term delay that is needed to
    correct these missteps will enable NTIA to oversee a more efficient,
    effective broadband loan program in the long run. If confirmed, I look
    forward to working with Secretary Lutnick, NTIA staff, and state
    broadband offices to expedite the BEAD program, get funding to the
    states, and expand broadband buildout, consistent with the law. I look
    forward to working with NTIA's career staff and state broadband offices
    to cut red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, to avoid further delays
    and minimize work for states, consistent with the law.

        Question 7. Priority Broadband Projects under IIJA: In Nevada, we
    have an all-of-the-above approach to technology that aligns with the
    intent of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The statute is tech
    neutral, in that it prioritizes the necessary technology to meet
    certain speed and scalability outcomes. Specifically, the statute
    defines a priority broadband project as one that satisfies quality,
    reliability, and speed requirements and can easily scale for future
    connectivity needs and 5G technologies. This is important, because
    while the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is tech neutral, it also has
    standards for such technology, and scalability for 5G technology is one
    of them.

        a. Does satellite technology currently support the scalability of
    5G services?

        b. Could satellite broadband services be considered under the
    statutory definition of a ``priority broadband project'' under the
    Bipartisan Infrastructure Law?
        Answer. Satellite technology is changing fast enough that I would
    want to consult with NTIA's engineers before making a determination on
    its current capabilities. If confirmed, I will consult with NTIA's
    engineers and attorneys to determine which specific products, services,
    and technologies meet the criteria in the law for ``priority broadband
    project'' per the IIJA.

        Question 8. Cost of Internet: Secretary Lutnick has announced that
    he is ``revamping'' BEAD to make it tech neutral--which it already is--
    and the ``lowest cost''. But costs for Elon Musk's Starlink right now
    are over $120 a month, while Internet service providers in Nevada offer
    higher speeds for less than half of that. What benefits will Americans
    receive if the NTIA changes the rules for BEAD to give rural areas
    slower, less reliable Internet that costs consumers more money?
        Answer. Such a scenario would not be a desirable result. If
    confirmed, I will work to deliver the best broadband service possible
    to all Americans, consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        Question 9. High Cost Locations: Some in this Administration have
    questioned why we are building in high cost locations, calling for some
    sort of cap on the costs of building out broadband to certain
    locations. Not only would this be misguided and inject uncertainty into
    the program, but it is in direct contradiction with the purpose of the
    BEAD program: to close the digital divide. If the private sector could
    easily build out to these hard-to-serve locations, they would have
    already. Providing high-speed, reliable broadband to all Americans who
    have been left behind is the explicit purpose of the law. In Nevada,
    many of the high cost awards in Nevada were awarded to the sole bidder
    of that project. Satellite couldn't serve those areas technologically--
    and fixed wireless bids often ended up being even more expensive. A
    national per location cap disregards complex factors that vary state by
    state and could prevent states from being able to connect 100 percent
    of unserved locations with the money allocated to the state under the
    program.

        a. Would you support instituting an arbitrary national cap on costs
    per location?

        b. Would you support instituting an arbitrary national cap on costs
    per location, even if that provider was the sole bidder of that
    location?
        Answer. I do not support taking any arbitrary actions. If confirmed
    and the issue of a per-location cap were to come up, I would consult
    with legal counsel, NTIA's career staff, state broadband offices,
    industry stakeholders, and this Committee as appropriate. Moreover, a
    per-location cap, should it come up, would need to account for
    consideration of high-cost areas, including high-cost Tribal areas.
                                     ______

       Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Ben Ray Lujan to
                                  Arielle Roth
        Question 1. Sec. Lutnick is calling on states to use the lowest
    cost option when building out broadband under the BEAD Program.
    Although satellite is cheaper and quicker to deploy in the short-term,
    it will be more expensive in the long-term. Fiber is considered the
    gold standard in Internet connection.

        Yes or no, do you support deprioritizing fiber in favor of fixed
    wireless or LEO satellites?
        Answer. I support an all-of-the-above solution, including fiber as
    well as alternative technologies where appropriate. If confirmed, I
    will work to deliver the best broadband service possible to all
    Americans, consistent with NTIA's statutory authority.

        a. Are you aware of any small LEO operators that satisfy IIJA's
    100/20 mbps speeds and low latency conditions?
        Answer. I am not, but satellite technology is changing fast enough
    that I would want to consult with NTIA's engineers before making a
    determination on its current capabilities. If confirmed, I will consult
    with NTIA's engineers and attorneys to determine which specific
    products, services, and technologies meet these criteria.

        Question 2. Earlier this month, Secretary Lutnick put out a
    statement saying that the Commerce Department is ``revamping the BEAD
    program to take a tech-neutral approach that is rigorously driven by
    outcomes, so states can provide Internet access for the lowest cost.''

        Yes or no, do you support requiring states to overhaul and resubmit
    their BEAD plans?

        a. If yes: How does that comport with your goal of deploying the
    money ``expeditiously''?
        Answer. Connecting every American to broadband expeditiously is my
    top priority. If confirmed, I look forward to working with Secretary
    Lutnick and NTIA staff to expedite the BEAD program, get funding to the
    states, and expand broadband buildout, consistent with the law. I look
    forward to working with NTIA's career staff and state broadband offices
    to cut red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, to avoid further delays
    and minimize work for states, consistent with the law.

        Question 3. During a June 2024 Federalist Society event you stated,
    ``Instead of prioritizing connecting all Americans who are currently
    unserved to Broadband, the NTIA has just been preoccupied with
    attaching all kinds of extra-legal requirements on BEAD, and to be
    honest, a woke social agenda.'' What provisions or requirements of BEAD
    constitute a ``woke social agenda''? Please be specific.
        Answer. At this panel, I was speaking in my capacity as the
    telecommunications policy director reflecting the views of Chairman
    Cruz who has expressed concern around extra-legal BEAD requirements.
    The concern over unnecessary requirements was notably discussed a few
    weeks ago by Ezra Klein and Jon Stewart on a podcast and flagged by the
    prior Administration's own BEAD director. If confirmed, I look forward
    to working with NTIA's career staff and state broadband offices to cut
    red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, to avoid further delays and
    minimize work for states, consistent with the law.

        Question 4. You previously stated that ACP had a failed record in
    connecting unserved Americans. However, by the time the program ended,
    more than 23 million households had accessed the ACP, which totals
    nearly 40 percent of eligible households. There is also strong evidence
    that the program provided vastly more economic benefits than it cost.
        Yes or no, do you stand by your statement that ACP had a ``failed
    record''?

        a. If yes, what evidence do you have to back up your statement?
        Answer. I was speaking in my capacity as the telecommunications
    policy director reflecting the views of Chairman Cruz who has
    documented concerns about ACP's record. Some of those were addressed in
    the language you offered to reform ACP. I support ensuring that
    broadband is affordable for low-income Americans. Of course, ensuring
    that low-income broadband programs are effective and targeted can be
    challenging, but it is something I am willing to put significant effort
    into to get right. I would welcome the opportunity to work with your
    office on this important, bipartisan issue.

        Question 5. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021
    requires Internet service providers participating in the BEAD program
    to offer a low-cost service option. NTIA gives states flexibility about
    how they implement the low-cost requirement, with offerings ranging
    from $15 a month in New York to up to $150 in Alaska. Yes or no, do you
    commit to follow the law and require all BEAD subgrantees to offer at
    least one low-cost broadband service option, as required under the
    statute?
        Answer. Yes, I commit to following the law.

        Question 6. As you know, the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program
    allocates $3 billion to support Tribal governments deployment projects,
    telehealth, and online educational opportunities. The last
    administration announced several awards at the end of 2024 but $1
    billion remains to be distributed. Will you commit to administer the
    remaining funds?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to implementing NTIA's statutory
    requirements, including with respect to the Tribal Broadband
    Connectivity Program.

        Question 7. As Administrator, you have a critical role in ensuring
    that Federal incumbents are using their spectrum resources efficiently.
    In some cases, reallocating the spectrum for nonfederal use may not be
    an option yet there may be opportunities to share spectrum to ensure
    its maximum benefit for the Federal government and consumers alike.
    Would you commit to requiring NTIA to publish clear timelines and
    stakeholder engagement opportunities as part of any spectrum studies
    aiming to commercialize Federal spectrum?
        Answer. As mandated in its enabling statute, NTIA is the
    coordinator of Federal spectrum and is in charge of coordinating the
    executive branch's position on spectrum issues. If confirmed, I pledge
    to abide by NTIA's statutory role on spectrum and making Federal
    spectrum use as efficient as possible, consistent with national
    security and public safety. Upon confirmation, I will confer with NTIA
    staff on the status of the agency's spectrum studies. I also pledge to
    maintain open channels with stakeholders on NTIA's spectrum work.
                                     ______

     Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. John Hickenlooper to
                                  Arielle Roth
        The NTIA is responsible for advocating for Federal agencies in key
    spectrum policy deliberations. In recent years, certain agency views
    have been raised to highlight potential impacts to Federal missions as
    a result of harmful interference to NOAA satellites that help predict
    weather; impacts to our GPS systems; and after a commercial ``C-Band''
    auction, concerns were raised about impacts to aircraft altimeters
    which required a voluntary pause for licensees to use new C-Band
    licenses to preserve aviation safety.

        Question 1. With specificity, what instances or scenarios do you
    consider to be ``harmful interference'' between Federal agencies and a
    range of unlicensed users using spectrum? Do you believe past spectrum
    policy decisions were hurried or created ``harmful interference'' to
    Federal missions? Why or why not?
        Answer. I have great respect for the engineers at NTIA, the FCC,
    and the various Federal agencies that rely on spectrum. It would be my
    top priority to protect national security and public safety in any
    spectrum decisions I make if confirmed. Harmful interference to
    critical Federal operations is unacceptable.
        One prominent instance of harmful interference between Federal and
    unlicensed users was an episode in 2009, in which the Federal Aviation
    Administration became aware of interference to Terminal Doppler Weather
    Radars that operate in the 5600-5650 MHz band and provide measurements
    of weather hazards for improved safety of operations in and around
    airports. According to a report written by NTIA with the assistance of
    FAA engineers, the interference was caused by unlicensed devices
    operating in the same band. This incident underscores the need for
    proper coordination between Federal and commercial users.
        I look forward to working to protect against harmful interference
    in any spectrum decisions I make if confirmed.
        International standards are key to all forms of emerging
    technologies-including communications. The upcoming World
    Radiocommunications Conference (WRC) in 2027 is a key date where global
    decisions will be made on the future of 6G, space-based communications,
    and expanding Wi-Fi capabilities.

        Question 2. What is your specific plan to help prepare and develop
    consensus priorities for the United States delegation to pursue at the
    WRC-27 convening?
        Answer. It is critically important for the United States to be
    prepared for WRC-27, and we need to establish our international policy
    positions on spectrum as quickly as possible. I believe NTIA has a very
    important role in that and, if confirmed, will work expeditiously to
    ensure that the delegation has what it needs to be successful. Central
    to being prepared for the WRC is convening relevant Federal agencies
    and stakeholders beforehand so that our country enters the WRC with
    unified positions.
        The State of Colorado has recently finalized its second application
    window to expand broadband to roughly 171,000 locations. If our State's
    Final Proposal is approved by the NTIA, Coloradans will finally see
    broadband expansion using a diverse mix of technologies, including
    fiber, fixed wireless, and satellite. With our state's complex
    geography, ensuring every household has high-speed connectivity is our
    North Star.

        Question 3. As the Department of Commerce considers reforms to the
    BEAD Program, will you commit to allowing States to continue with their
    project planning and award process without unnecessary delay?
        Answer. I agree that we should avoid unnecessary delay. Connecting
    every American to broadband expeditiously is my top priority. If
    confirmed, I look forward to working with Secretary Lutnick and NTIA
    staff to expedite the BEAD program, get funding to the states, and
    expand broadband buildout, consistent with the law. I look forward to
    working with NTIA's career staff and state broadband offices to cut red
    tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, to avoid further delays and minimize
    work for states, consistent with the law.
                                     ______

    Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Lisa Blunt Rochester to
                                  Arielle Roth
        Question. Ms. Roth, cybersecurity in our Nation's broadband
    networks is such an important part of our digital ecosystem.
    Additionally, with the rise of AI systems and Internet of Things
    applications, broadband users will have more potential vectors of
    attack for bad actors to target.
        With the recent Salt Typhoon hack proving the necessity of
    cybersecurity programs, can you tell me, given the NTIA's advisory role
    to the President, your concrete plans in your first 100 days if
    approved for this role, to address safely integrating these emerging
    technologies into our country's broadband networks?
        Answer. Salt Typhoon was a massive penetration of our country's
    communications networks, and it is important to plug any
    vulnerabilities to prevent future attacks. If confirmed, I look forward
    to working with NTIA's staff and other Federal agencies to develop and
    promote standards and best practices for cybersecurity. Although NTIA
    does not have regulatory authority, it can play a key role in policy
    development, advocacy, and information sharing with respect to
    cybersecurity.