NCTA's Michael Powell on America's Broadband Mission

Connecting every American

"It's going to get pretty chaotic." Those comments from NCTA President & CEO Michael Powell aptly captured the tone of this week's Senate subcommittee hearing about the challenge (and historic opportunity) of connecting every American to robust broadband service. 

In addition to testifying in the Senate hearing, Powell shared his insights with NCTA's State Leadership Conference on the cable industry's role in building out robust and resilient networks, what the federal government is getting right with the latest broadband funding plans, and what will be required to tackle the challenges that stand in the way of connecting the unserved.

These video clips from the conference highlight some of Powell's key observations.

Network Performance During COVID

An important part of resiliency is running ahead of the curve and that's exactly why America's broadband networks were able to handle the historic surges in internet traffic during the earlier part of the COVID pandemic. 

Prioritizing the Unserved

When it comes to ensuring the success of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, targeting funds towards the neediest (unserved) areas first will be critical.

Broadband Maps Make a Difference

While the first version of the FCC's Broadband Map has a lot of work left to be done, it is a step in the right direction to identifying by location where broadband is available. 


Not an Easy Task

The complexity and magnitude of this federal broadband project are immense and it's the job of regulators and private partners to harmonize and shave off these rough spots.