Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick announced on March 5 that the agency will be conducting a review of the Federal government’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program with an aim to provide internet access for the lowest cost.
The $42.45 billion BEAD program was created as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program provides broadband access grants to underserved or unserved communities.
The broadband funding aims to close the digital divide by expanding high-speed internet access through funding planning, infrastructure deployment, and adoption programs across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
However, in a March 5 statement, Lutnick claimed the program has “not connected a single person to the internet and is in dire need of a readjustment.” The secretary said this was due to the Biden administration’s “woke mandates, favoritism towards certain technologies, and burdensome regulations.”
“Under my leadership, the Commerce Department has launched a rigorous review of the BEAD program. The department is ripping out the Biden administration’s pointless requirements,” Lutnick said. “It 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.”
In November, the BEAD program announced that it had approved “Internet for All” plans for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five territories participating in the program. The approval means all 56 states and territories are taking the next steps to select the providers who will build and upgrade the high-speed internet networks.
According to the BEAD Progress Dashboard, 30 eligible entities have begun selecting service providers, while three have completed service provider selection.
As part of the review, Lutnick said the department will be “exploring ways to cut government red tape that slows down infrastructure construction.”
“We will work with states and territories to quickly get rid of the delays and the waste. Thereafter we will move quickly to implementation in order to get households connected,” Lutnick said.
Broadband experts have called for improvements to the BEAD program in the past. Jonathan Spalter, president and CEO of USTelecom, testified before Congress in 2023 to encourage efficient and effective program implementation.
“This includes streamlining permitting, minimizing burdensome rules to maximize provider participation, and prioritizing experience to providers – experience matters,” Spalter said.
