To expand broadband, rural communities need clarity on government funding

Rural communities across America have been working flat out to expand fast, reliable internet access, but to succeed, they urgently need clarity about the resources available to move forward.

In recent weeks:

1. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo providing assurance for Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding.
2. The OMB then issued a separate memo pausing all federal grants and loans, which would have hit BEAD and the Digital Equity Act (DEA).
3. A Federal judge temporarily blocked the pause announced in the OMB memo.
4. Then, three days after issuing it, the White House rescinded the memo.

The last administration was criticized for moving too slowly on broadband expansion. The Trump administration has the opportunity now to accelerate these efforts, going further and faster in laying the digital foundations of opportunity for all Americans.