The
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (
NTIA) is an agency of the
United States Department of CommerceThe United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
that serves as the
PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
's principal adviser on
telecommunicationTelecommunication is transmission over a distance for the purpose of communication. In earlier times, this may have involved the use of smoke signals, drums, semaphore, flags or heliograph. In modern times, telecommunication typically involves the use of electronic devices such as the telephone,...
s
policiesThe policy behind telecommunications in the US is directed by decision makers in the Municipal, State, federal and International arenas; as well as the Legislative, Executive, Judicial branches of government and the Regulatory Commissions like the FCC....
pertaining to the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' economic and technological advancement and to regulation of the telecommunications industry.
The current NTIA administrator is Lawrence E. Strickling, Assistant Secretary of Commerce. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 25, 2009, following his nomination by President Barack Obama.
Among its stated goals are:
- Working to ensure that all Americans have affordable phone
Within phonetics, a phone is:* a speech sound or gesture considered a physical event without regard to its place in the phonology of a language* a speech segment that possesses distinct physical or perceptual properties...
and cableA cable is two or more wires or ropes running side by side and bonded, twisted or braided together to form a single assembly. In mechanics, cables are used for lifting and hauling; in electricity they are used to carry electrical currents....
service.
- Helping to bring the benefits of advanced telecommunications technologies to millions of Americans in rural and underserved urban areas through its information infrastructure grants.
- Providing the hardware that enables public radio
Radio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
broadcasters to extend and maintain the reach of their programming.
- Advocating competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, nations, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or allocation of resources. It arises whenever two or more parties strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same...
and liberalization of telecommunications policies around the world.
- Participating in international government-to-government negotiations to open markets for U.S.
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The
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (
NTIA) is an agency of the
United States Department of CommerceThe United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
that serves as the
PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
's principal adviser on
telecommunicationTelecommunication is transmission over a distance for the purpose of communication. In earlier times, this may have involved the use of smoke signals, drums, semaphore, flags or heliograph. In modern times, telecommunication typically involves the use of electronic devices such as the telephone,...
s
policiesThe policy behind telecommunications in the US is directed by decision makers in the Municipal, State, federal and International arenas; as well as the Legislative, Executive, Judicial branches of government and the Regulatory Commissions like the FCC....
pertaining to the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' economic and technological advancement and to regulation of the telecommunications industry.
The current NTIA administrator is Lawrence E. Strickling, Assistant Secretary of Commerce. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 25, 2009, following his nomination by President Barack Obama.
Among its stated goals are:
- Working to ensure that all Americans have affordable phone
Within phonetics, a phone is:* a speech sound or gesture considered a physical event without regard to its place in the phonology of a language* a speech segment that possesses distinct physical or perceptual properties...
and cableA cable is two or more wires or ropes running side by side and bonded, twisted or braided together to form a single assembly. In mechanics, cables are used for lifting and hauling; in electricity they are used to carry electrical currents....
service.
- Helping to bring the benefits of advanced telecommunications technologies to millions of Americans in rural and underserved urban areas through its information infrastructure grants.
- Providing the hardware that enables public radio
Radio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
broadcasters to extend and maintain the reach of their programming.
- Advocating competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, nations, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or allocation of resources. It arises whenever two or more parties strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same...
and liberalization of telecommunications policies around the world.
- Participating in international government-to-government negotiations to open markets for U.S. companies.
- Negotiating with foreign governments to ensure adequate spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. The "electromagnetic spectrum" of an object is the characteristic distribution of electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed by that particular object....
for national defense, public safety, and U.S. business needs.
- Promoting efficient use of federal radio spectrum and encouraging the development and implementation of new and emerging telecommunications technologies.
- Performing long-term research to explore uses of higher frequency spectrum.
- Working with Federal, state, and local public safety agencies to address future spectrum requirements.
The NTIA's
Office of Spectrum Management is in charge of regulating use of spectrum allocated to the Federal Government. It serves in a manner equivalent to the
Federal Communications CommissionThe Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, directed, and empowered by Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President...
for this purpose. It is also the part of the Department of Commerce that oversees
ICANNICANN is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. Headquartered in Marina Del Rey, California, United States, ICANN is a non-profit corporation that was created on September 18, 1998 and incorporated September 30, 1998 in order to oversee a number of Internet-related tasks...
.
The NTIA also administers the analog-to-digital TV converter box Coupon Program.
External links