Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

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.

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.

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.

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.

The U.S.

Northeast Michigan lacks efficient broadband access, but projects both on a national and local scale aim to change that and spur economic development efforts in the Alpena area. Erik Frederick, chief connectivity officer at the Michigan High Speed Internet Office, is leading the efforts to connect everyone to the internet from city to countryside in Michigan.

There’s a new sheriff in town for the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Arielle Roth, policy director of telecommunications on the U.S.

This year’s policy platform highlights the various broadband issues that SHLB plans to prioritize in 2025. Within each topic, we look for opportunities to advocate for anchor institutions and their communities at the federal and state level. While we highlight many issues in this platform, these remain only guideposts to the policy work that we might accomplish throughout the year. SHLB always remains flexible in its efforts and stands ready to respond to the dynamic policy landscape.

According to Albert Einstein, insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” Congress is taking this to a whole new level with its latest discussions about how to “fix” broadband internet deployment across the United States. The most vociferous criticisms of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program have centered on how long it has taken to deploy. On its face, that is a fair criticism. Contextualized, however, the criticism does not hold water. No one is asking why it took so long. The simple answer: Maps.

Howard Lutnick, a wealthy donor to President Trump who has been chosen to lead the Commerce Department, defended Mr. Trump’s plans to impose broad tariffs and said he would take a tough stance on technology sales to China during his Senate confirmation hearing. If confirmed, Lutnick would lead on trade policy and oversee a broad portfolio of government programs touching on business promotion, technology and science.