Daily Digest 2/11/2025 (BEAD)

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
Table of Contents

Broadband Funding

Some Republican senators are concerned about a pause to BEAD  |  Read below  |  Linda Hardesty  |  Fierce
$42 billion broadband grant program may scrap Biden admin’s preference for fiber  |  Read below  |  Jon Brodkin  |  Ars Technica
Technology Neutral  |  Read below  |  Doug Dawson  |  Analysis  |  CCG Consulting
BEAD Should Continue to Prioritize Fiber Internet Network Investments  |  Read below  |  Christopher Mitchell  |  Analysis  |  Institute for Local Self Reliance

State/Local

Mississippi Approves Twelve New Broadband Projects Using Capital Projects Funds  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  Mississippi Office of the Governor
Uncertainty clouds Pennsylvania's internet expansion plans  |  Read below  |  Kris Mamula  |  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Washington State starts new rulemaking process for Broadband Emergency Funding  |  Washington State Department of Commerce
Ericsson plans private network across 68 Texas counties  |  Fierce

Government & Communications

Inside the race to archive the US government’s websites  |  Read below  |  Scott Mulligan  |  MIT Technology Review
These documents are influencing the DOGE-sphere’s agenda  |  Read below  |  James O'Donnell  |  MIT Technology Review

Spectrum/Wireless

25 Companies Urge FCC to Protect CBRS  |  Read below  |  Carl Weinschenk  |  telecompetitor
New Coalition to Promote Policies that Foster Increased Home Broadband Competition  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  Spectrum for Broadband Competition

Platforms/Social Media

Meta wants to teach kids how to spot online exploitation  |  Vox
What does the TikTok saga reveal about China-US relations?  |  Brookings
Elon Musk Says He Doesn’t Want to Buy TikTok’s US Business  |  Bloomberg

Policymakers

Big Tech is "on notice" with FTC's hires  |  Axios

Stories From Abroad

JD Vance storms AI summit in France, criticizing Europe’s tech regulations  |  Washington Post
Today's Top Stories

Broadband Funding

Some Republican senators are concerned about a pause to BEAD

Linda Hardesty  |  Fierce

As Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick will have powers over many commerce-related areas, and he may play a role in the big issue of tariffs. But of most interest to the broadband community, he would be the boss of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which oversees the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. The Senate Commerce Committee held Lutnick’s confirmation hearing on January 29, where Senators were able to question the nominee. Some Senators—from both parties—expressed concerns about any dramatic changes to BEAD. Sens Shelly Capito (R-WV) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) pushed Lutnick to commit to not making any dramatic changes that will negate the work states have put in to prepare for BEAD—or leave them with subpar service after the funding runs out. 

$42 billion broadband grant program may scrap Biden admin’s preference for fiber

Jon Brodkin  |  Ars Technica

Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) has been demanding an overhaul of a $42.45 billion broadband deployment program, and now his telecommunications policy director has been chosen to lead the federal agency in charge of the grant money. Arielle Roth's nomination to lead the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is pending Senate approval. Roth works for the Senate Commerce Committee, which is chaired by Sen Cruz. Shortly after Trump's election win, Sen Cruz called for an overhaul of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, which was created by Congress in November 2021 and is being implemented by the NTIA. Cruz previously accused the NTIA of "technology bias" because the agency prioritized fiber over other types of technology. 

Technology Neutral

Doug Dawson  |  Analysis  |  CCG Consulting

The term technology neutral has been around for a number of years related to federal grants. The term is used among the folks who create grant programs as a way to not dictate technology choices—any technology that can meet the requirements of a given grant program should be considered. The term is taking on significant new meaning in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grant process. The BEAD legislation said that the program was supposed to be technology neutral. However, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) adopted a principle that States should favor fiber whenever possible. It's clear that the new head of the NTIA is going to eliminate the NTIA’s preference for fiber. To a large degree, any significant change that limit the amount of fiber that will be built by BEAD feels like a political decision more than a policy decision. 

BEAD Should Continue to Prioritize Fiber Internet Network Investments

Christopher Mitchell  |  Analysis  |  Institute for Local Self Reliance

With the new administration taking over federal programs, some companies and organizations are trying to change the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program to focus on technologies that are cheaper to build initially but may charge more to residents while delivering much less. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is running the $42.5 BEAD program to improve rural Internet access and, as Congress required, has prioritized fiber optic network investments. Congress deliberately chose to prioritize fiber optic technology because of past failures in which the federal government made repeated investments into obsolete technologies. Congress was wise to require NTIA to focus on fiber first. States will make different decisions about when to allow other technologies to bid when fiber is too expensive, but NTIA and the federal government should keep this part of BEAD the way it was designed.

State/Local

Mississippi Approves Twelve New Broadband Projects Using Capital Projects Funds

Press Release  |  Mississippi Office of the Governor

The Office of Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi (BEAM) recently approved 12 broadband infrastructure projects totaling $32.5 million to be funded by the Capital Projects Fund (CPF). These 12 CPF projects will provide $32.5 million of grant funding to build internet services to approximately 9,000 households in portions of 12 counties across the state. In 2024, BEAM approved 37 other CPF projects totaling $100 million to serve approximately 42,000 households across the state. Additionally, BEAM has made $878,000 in awards in a smaller CPF category for public wi-fi projects. These funds were applied for by and awarded to internet providers to build wi-fi in public places (downtowns, parks, volunteer fire stations, etc.) for individuals to utilize for school, telehealth, or similar uses. Program guidelines from the US Department of Treasury require all projects funded by CPF to be completed by December 31, 2026.

Uncertainty clouds Pennsylvania's internet expansion plans

Kris Mamula  |  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As a new administration refashions the federal government in Washington, D.C., questions have arisen about the billions of dollars previously allocated to bringing speedy internet connections to every home and business in the U.S. Pennsylvania’s share of the National Telecommunications & Information Administration’s $42.35 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program is $1.16 billion. None of the money has been awarded to internet service providers who will be making the connections, and now questions have arisen about new strings that might be attached to the money—providing it’s distributed at all. Rural Pennsylvania would be hurt most by any holdups, experts say, places like Fayette County in southwest Pennsylvania, population 124,000, which has some 7,600 sites where internet connections are inadequate at best. “This funding will allow us to connect to the world,” said Fayette County Commissioner Vince Vicites, who said he was concerned about the status of the funds. “We need to be connected to compete.

Government & Communications

Inside the race to archive the US government’s websites

Scott Mulligan  |  MIT Technology Review

Since January 20, the new US presidential administration has taken down thousands of government web pages related to public health, environmental justice, and scientific research. The mass takedowns stem from the new administration’s push to remove government information related to diversity and “gender ideology,” as well as scrutiny of various government agencies’ practices. But as government web pages go dark, a collection of organizations are trying to archive as much data and information as possible before it’s gone for good. The hope is to keep a record of what has been lost for scientists and historians to be able to use in the future. Data archiving is generally considered to be nonpartisan, but the recent actions of the administration have spurred some in the preservation community to stand up. One of the largest projects is the End of Term Web Archive, a nonpartisan coalition of many organizations that aims to make a copy of all government data at the end of each presidential term. 

These documents are influencing the DOGE-sphere’s agenda

James O'Donnell  |  MIT Technology Review

Reports from the US Government Accountability Office on improper federal payments in recent years are circulating on X and elsewhere online, and they seem to be a big influence on Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency and its supporters as the group pursues cost-cutting measures across the federal government. The payment reports have been spread online by dozens of punditssleuths, and anonymous analysts in the orbit of DOGE and are often amplified by Musk himself. Though the interpretations of the office’s findings are at times inaccurate, it is clear that the GAO’s documents—which historically have been unlikely to cause much of a stir even within Washington—are having a moment. The documents don’t offer a crystal ball into Musk’s plans, but they suggest a blueprint, or at least an indicator, of where his newly formed and largely unaccountable task force is looking to make cuts.

Spectrum/Wireless

25 Companies Urge FCC to Protect CBRS

Carl Weinschenk  |  telecompetitor

Twenty-five organizations sent a letter this week to new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr in opposition to prospective changes to the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) framework. The companies say that the changes would upend the goals for which CBRS was developed. The letter urges the FCC to not pursue proposals to increase power levels for CBRS devices and relax emissions limits. This, the letter says, “would transform CBRS into yet another high-power, macro cellular band.” The letter says that the changes “would fundamentally modify CBRS licenses and undermine the Commission’s bipartisan vision for CBRS as a lower-power, small-cell band that supports broad access and numerous applications.” 

New Coalition to Promote Policies that Foster Increased Home Broadband Competition

Press Release  |  Spectrum for Broadband Competition

Spectrum for Broadband Competition officially launched, bringing together a coalition of industry leaders to advocate for spectrum policies that foster increased competition, consumer choice and innovation in the home broadband market. The coalition also launched its first campaign, ‘End the Cableopoly,’ highlighting the cable industry’s attempts to undermine competition from 5G home broadband by starving wireless providers of the spectrum needed to expand access and help close the digital divide. The coalition’s founding members include 5G Americas and CTIA. The cable industry has launched a massive influence campaign designed to block wireless companies from gaining access to new spectrum needed to expand competition and offer service to more Americans. Spectrum for Broadband Competition will focus on countering these efforts by highlighting the cable industry’s anti-competitive behavior and advocating for policies that foster increased home broadband market competition.

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Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org), Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org), and Zoe Walker (zwalker AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.


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Kevin Taglang

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Executive Editor, Communications-related Headlines
Benton Institute
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