NTIA Head Calls GOP Criticism of BEAD 'Election-Year Politics'

Alan Davidson, chief of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in the Commerce Department, dismissed Republican criticisms of the Biden administration’s $42 billion broadband expansion program as "election-year politics." Recent attacks have shifted toward Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been dubbed the "Broadband Czar" by Republicans like Sen. John Thune (R-SD). Thune criticized the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program in September, saying, “Three years and $42 billion later, not one person has been connected to the internet," calling it “another example of the failure of the Biden administration.”  Davidson claimed that despite the political criticism, the program remained on track with its timeline to bring high-speed internet to all Americans by the end of the decade. He attributed any delays to careful planning rather than mismanagement.