The Telecommunications Industry Association has asked the leadership of the House Appropriations Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee to rethink the proposed 25% cut in the National Telecommunications & Information Administration's budget.
NTIA, a part of the Department of Commerce, is the president's chief telecom advisor and oversees government spectrum users just as the FCC oversees private users.
In a letter to chairman John Culberson (R-Texas) and ranking member José Serrano (D-N.Y.), TIA senior VP Cinnamon Rogers says that whatever cuts are made, they should avoid impacting federal spectrum management, public safety, wireless R&D and engineering, and security and privacy.
Rogers said those needed strengthening, not weakening.
"NTIA serves a vital role in coordinating U.S. telecommunications policy in spectrum management, public safety, and other areas of national importance. Importantly, its efforts have also yielded direct benefits many times over for the American taxpayer," Rogers said.
She pointed to, among other things, the AWS-3 spectrum auction that raised more than $40 billion for the treasury and that NTIA is coordinating implementation of President Donald Trump's executive order on cybersecurity "and also coordinates critical multi-stakeholder processes on Internet of Things security and drone privacy issues."
TIA represents suppliers, manufacturers and vendors of communications tech.
