Latest news with #andDeploymentProgram
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A lagging broadband program faces more delays as Trump plans changes
Workers install fiber optic cables for a school in Harrisburg, Pa. The Trump administration is extending the deadline for states to submit their final proposals for a federal broadband program that's still largely in the planning phase after more than three years. () The Trump administration is extending the deadline for states to submit their final proposals for a federal broadband program, further delaying an effort that's still largely in the planning phase after more than three years. States will have an additional 90 days to submit their final plans for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, known as BEAD, a federal grant program meant to expand broadband access to underserved areas across the country. The extension comes as the Trump administration prepares to make changes to the BEAD program, according to a notice from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The department is currently reviewing the program 'to remove unnecessary rules and mandates, to improve efficiency, take a more technology-neutral approach, cut unnecessary red tape, and streamline deployment,' the notice said. The $42.45 billion program, created under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, began falling behind schedule in part because of inadequate federal mapping of where broadband is most needed and a lengthy challenge process to the maps. As a result, the slow-moving program has some local officials and experts questioning its efficiency. Already-lagging broadband program faces more uncertainty under Trump They anticipate that federal officials might change an affordability requirement, which mandates states include a low-cost service option for low-income households, or the type of technologies given preference under the program. That shift likely would be away from fiber-optic internet toward satellites or other technology. Earlier this month, more than 100 state lawmakers from 28 states sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick requesting that any changes to the BEAD program be optional rather than mandatory. They argued that mandatory changes could undo their BEAD plans and delay broadband deployment by a year or more. The BEAD program originally had required states to submit their final proposals to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration within a year of their initial plan's approval. Citing 'extraordinary circumstances,' however — the new federal review — deadlines for states' final proposals will be moved, according to the notice. NTIA declined to comment for this story. All 50 states have had their initial BEAD proposals approved, unlocking a portion — often 20% — of the money the feds will provide. As of April 14, Delaware, Louisiana and Nevada are the only states to have submitted their final proposals for public comment, according to the NTIA's BEAD Progress Dashboard. Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina and Texas are the only states that have not made any progress beyond having their initial proposal approved, according to the tracker. Stateline reporter Madyson Fitzgerald can be reached at mfitzgerald@ SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Taylor introduces bill to on rural broadband affordability
Apr. 18—WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Dave Taylor, R-Ohio, introduced the Bridging the Broadband Gap Act, which his office said will prioritize the affordability and expansion of broadband to rural communities through satellite and fixed-wireless broadband. This bill will allow states to use funds from the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment Program to pay for 50 percent of the initial cost of a satellite or fixed wireless receiver and $30 of each monthly bill for the first year of service. Taylor's office will additionally give service priority to counties in the bottom 50 percent of a state's per capita income. "Through endless federal bureaucracy, the BEAD Program, which put over $42 billion toward rural broadband, has still not connected a single household to broadband and left southern Ohioans behind," Taylor said. "Fiber internet is vital but it could take years to connect all of southern Ohio, and my Bridging the Broadband Gap Act would expand broadband across rural America while the proper infrastructure is being developed. No matter what technology is used, rural Americans need internet access now and this bill will put us one step closer to connecting rural Ohio farmers, families, and businesses with the modern economy." Specifically, this bill will amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to authorize recipients of funds under the BEAD Program to provide broadband vouchers to households in specific locations. Since BEAD has already allocated federal funds to states, the Bridging the Broadband Gap Act would allow current funding to be used for vouchers. Out of sixteen counties in Ohio's Second Congressional District, thirteen are among the bottom 50 percent of Ohio's lowest per capita income areas. By prioritizing services to low-income counties, the Bridging the Broadband Gap Act will transform rural families' ability to access the internet across Southern Ohio.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Will Trump administration order halt broadband funds for Internet buildout in Mississippi?
A reader from Forrest County recently asked the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center's 'What Is True?' fact-checking service if a Trump administration executive order, issued on the president's first day in office for his second term, would halt federal funding aimed at expanding broadband internet access to rural portions of Mississippi. On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders, including one called 'Unleashing American Energy.' This particular order directed federal agencies to pause the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a $1.2 trillion package aimed at modernizing U.S. infrastructure, improving sustainability and boosting economic growth. The act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden in November 2021, allocated $65 billion for broadband expansion and affordability efforts. The act also created the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, better known as BEAD. The goal of BEAD is to expand high-speed broadband access across the country and particularly to rural, unserved and underserved communities. BEAD was given $42.45 billion to accomplish this goal, and each state, territory and the District of Columbia received a slice of that funding. After state officials submitted a comprehensive plan for expanding access, the Magnolia State was awarded more than $1.2 billion of this funding. At the time of this award, state leaders were already well on their way to expanding broadband access to hundreds of thousands of Mississippians. In a 2023 interview with the Mississippi Business Journal, Sally Doty, head of the state broadband office, said that funding streams for this effort included about $450 million from the federal Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, about $75 million from the 2020 federal CARES Act, $32 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Broadband Infrastructure Program and around $152 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. In that interview, Doty said the BEAD funding would have a 'tremendous impact on Mississippi.' She said her office was working with federal officials on an implementation plan, and, in August 2024, the Biden administration announced that an initial plan proposal had been approved, enabling 'Mississippi … to request access to funding and begin implementation.' After Trump took office and signed the 'Unleashing American Energy' order, several news outlets — including StateScoop — reported that broadband expansion was 'in limbo.' To clarify matters, the Trump administration issued a memo stating that the funding 'pause only applies to funds supporting programs, projects, or activities that may be implicated by the policy established in Section 2 of the order.' Section 2 discusses the administration's plans to expand domestic energy production, reduce reliance on foreign resources and eliminate regulatory barriers that favor technologies like electric vehicles. While this executive order does not mention internet expansion efforts and will likely not affect BEAD funds for Mississippi, CNN recently reported that the U.S. Commerce Department, which has oversight of the program, is 'revamping' it. The original BEAD framework prioritized fiber-optic networks as the preferred solution for high-speed internet expansion, but the department's changes, according to CNN, include the adoption of a technology-neutral approach, allowing satellite providers like Elon Musk's Starlink to compete for federal funding. According to British daily newspaper The Guardian, Musk, a senior White House adviser, has publicly called for defunding BEAD while also suggesting that Starlink 'could provide internet connectivity to rural homes at a fraction of the connectivity cost.' Doty told 'What Is True?' that she foresees 'no drastic change in Mississippi's plan for the buildout of broadband infrastructure to the approximately 125,000 households across the state that remain unserved.' She added that her office 'had already anticipated that (low-Earth orbit satellite providers Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper) or fixed wireless would be used for our extremely high-cost locations in Mississippi.' 'Alternative technologies are the right answer in certain situations and can provide acceptable speeds, especially as this technology evolves,' Doty said. 'Starlink will have a role in our buildout, but (it) is not the answer for all remaining unserved locations in Mississippi.' She said that she agreed with Musk's criticism surrounding the program's 'slow rollout.' 'I emphatically agree that the program has been excruciatingly slow,' Doty said. 'From my view, many of the federal requirements that states must meet are time-consuming, expensive and unnecessary for an effective program.' Doty said that she expects the new administration to 'streamline the process,' which will allow her office to move 'with more urgency.' Although the Trump administration's executive order does not explicitly halt broadband expansion funding, the Commerce Department's revamp of BEAD introduces uncertainty about its future in Mississippi. While state officials, including Doty, anticipate progress will continue, the implementation process may shift under new federal guidelines. 'What Is True?' is a media literacy initiative dedicated to investigating false and misleading information. Our team fact-checks claims, provides context and helps the public navigate today's complex news landscape. Submit your claim. Editor's note: This article is based on publicly available sources, media reports and information collected from interviews. The Mississippi Business Journal article cited in this report was written by Joshua Wilson, who is also the author of this article. In the interest of full transparency, we disclose this connection to ensure readers are aware of the author's previous reporting on this topic. The 'What Is True?' fact-checking service follows rigorous verification standards, and readers are encouraged to review the linked sources for further context and verification.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Commerce Official Gives Elon Musk Middle Finger Over Starlink
A top official at the Commerce Department warned in a scathing resignation letter that Elon Musk intends to get rich at the expense of rural Americans. Evan Feinman, the former director of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, or BEAD, which provides grants to expand internet access across the country, condemned the efforts of the billionaire bureaucrat—who also happens to own a satellite internet constellation that might directly profit from his dismissal. 'Stranding all or part of rural America with worse internet so that we can make the world's richest man even richer is yet another in a long line of betrayals by Washington,' Feinman wrote Sunday in a lengthy email to his colleagues, obtained by Politico. The BEAD program, overseen by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is housed within the Commerce Department, was granted $42.5 billion in 2021 by Joe Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to provide fast internet connection to millions of Americans. As of yet, no internet expansion projects have actually begun, though some states are closer to the finish line than others. In a statement earlier this month, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claimed that the Biden administration's 'woke mandates, favoritism towards certain technologies, and burdensome regulations' had prevented BEAD from connecting a single person to high speed internet. Lutnick promised an overhaul of BEAD that would include 'ripping out' the 'pointless requirements' imposed by the previous administration, but did not specify what steps that would include, or what regulations he intended to remove. The potential changes could offer a bigger piece of the pie to Musk's Starlink by adopting 'technology neutral' policies that will make way for the use of satellites in addition to fiber-optic cables. Starlink was expected to haul in around $4.1 billion under the existing rules but could rake in anywhere from $10 billion to $20 billion if Lutnick's changes are accepted. Feinman seemed to agree that the Biden administration had inserted some language for 'messaging/political purposes, and were never central to the mission of the program.' But he was concerned that Lutnick's changes could set the program back even further, as three states, Louisiana, Delaware, and Nevada, are currently trapped in limbo as they await approval from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. 'Shovels could already be in the ground in three states, and they could be in the ground in half the country by the summer without the proposed changes to project selection,' Feinman wrote. Feinman was concerned that the Trump administration would undermine BEAD to turn a profit, against the best interest of rural Americans, lawmakers, or even the telecommunications industry. He urged that officials 'NOT change it to benefit technology that delivers slower speeds at higher costs to the household paying the bill.' 'Reach out to your congressional delegation and reach out to the Trump Administration and tell them to strip out the needless requirements, but not to strip away from states the flexibility to get the best connections for their people,' Feinman wrote.
Gulf Today
09-03-2025
- Business
- Gulf Today
Broadband programme faces uncertainty under Trump
A massive federal programme meant to expand broadband access to underserved areas across the country is falling behind schedule, state broadband officials and experts say, even as Trump administration actions create further uncertainty about its funding and rules. Now in its third year, the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, known as BEAD, is largely still in the planning phase. In Alpine County, California, the vice chair of the county Board of Supervisors, David Griffith, said he is still waiting to see how BEAD funds will help his area. Out of the county's roughly 1,100 residents, most rely on phone lines to connect to the internet and can't afford high-speed connections. That means instead of renewing their driver's licenses online, for example, many of the county's residents drive 30 miles to the closest department of motor vehicles location, he said. They lack internet speed for telemedicine, banking and tax filing. 'We all want government to work,' Griffith said, 'and unfortunately, the BEAD programme is an example where the need is there and the funding is there, but it's just a very inefficient process.' Congress awarded California $1.8 billion to ensure households get access to high-speed internet as part of the $42.45 billion BEAD programme, created under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. All 50 states have had their initial proposals approved, unlocking a portion — often 20% — of the money the feds will provide. Delaware, Louisiana and Nevada are the only states to have submitted their final proposals. Some local officials and experts are questioning the efficiency of the programme. Progress is slow in part, they say, because of inadequate federal mapping of where broadband is most needed and a lengthy challenge process to the maps. And some experts worry that states are favoring overly expensive infrastructure. Federal and state broadband officials are also waiting to see how President Donald Trump's funding freeze may affect the BEAD programme, as well as how federal officials might change an affordability requirement or the type of technologies given preference under the programme. At his confirmation hearing, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, who took office Feb. 19, said he supported the goals of BEAD but wanted to make sure it was done 'efficiently and effectively' and sidestepped questions asking him to commit to sending money out to states. Griffith said he's hopeful the money will still flow, noting that most of BEAD's funds will go to rural areas, many of which tend to elect and support Republicans. Louisiana was the first state to have both its initial and final BEAD proposals approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The state plans to deploy more than $1.35 billion in funding through its GUMBO 2.0 programme. States grant the federal money to internet service providers, local governments, nonprofits and other groups to build out the infrastructure. Shortly after the state's plans were approved in January, Louisiana Republican Gov. Jeff Landry sent a letter to the Commerce Department asking for changes within NTIA and the BEAD programme, including a request to streamline the agency's requirements and a commitment to more timely and transparent funding reviews. NTIA declined to answer Stateline's questions about the BEAD programme. Officials in some states have run into snags with challenges to the Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Map. Through the map challenge process, local governments, internet service providers, nonprofits and other groups can help determine whether a particular location actually has internet service. Griffith, the California county supervisor, said the map was originally 'full of errors' in his area. 'We went through it in Alpine County, and about 7-8% of residences and businesses were left off of the National Broadband Map,' he said. 'Unless you're on the National Broadband Map, that money cannot be used to connect your home or business.' The BEAD programme also has an affordability requirement that mandates state broadband officials include a low-cost service option for low-income households. But industry groups have pushed back, calling the rule 'completely unmoored from the economic realities of deploying and operating networks in the highest cost, hardest-to-reach areas.' The BEAD programme has 'moved a little slower than it should have,' said Sachin Gupta, the vice president of business and technologies strategies at Centranet, part of the Central Rural Electric Cooperative in Oklahoma. The group serves households living just outside of Oklahoma City. 'There are people who cannot do remote work, or distance learning, or be part of the digital economy or do telehealth and telemedicine,' he said. 'So, there's real-world consequences.' In August, the feds approved Oklahoma's initial BEAD proposal, allowing the state to request access to over $797 million. The goal is to get households connected to the internet as quickly as possible, but there are going to be some challenges, such as mapping, Gupta said. 'This work has gone on for some time,' Gupta said, 'but if you pull this money back, people are just going to be even more distressed than they were before.' Experts at the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, a science and technology policy think tank based in Washington, D.C., have argued that the BEAD programme favors overly expensive broadband infrastructure. Fiber-optic internet, which BEAD gives preference to, is considered faster and more reliable than other methods of connection, but other technologies, such as satellites, could be more cost-effective, according to the group. The money saved from using less costly infrastructure could be put toward affordability efforts instead. 'That may be the best kept secret: The reason people aren't online anymore is not about broadband being unavailable,' said Joe Kane, the director of broadband and spectrum policy at the foundation. 'It's that they can't afford it.' In states like Nevada, where officials are planning to spend about $77,000 per business or residential location to deploy fiber, there's not going to be much money left over for affordability efforts, Kane said. It's even more crucial now that the Affordable Connectivity Program, a pandemic-era discount programme for low-income households, has dissolved. 'I think the most important thing for broadband overall is that we should be trying to take a data-focused approach to what are the real causes of the digital divide, and how is our broadband policy meeting that,' Kane said. 'Because right now, we have a complete mismatch.' But Gupta, who has been involved with Oklahoma's broadband expansion for years, said other types of broadband internet cannot provide the same internet speed as fiber. 'If we deploy technologies that are not scalable, then all we're doing is kicking that can down the road another five years.' As consumer prices rise, internet affordability is a significant concern, said Derrick Owens, the senior vice president of government and industry affairs at WTA — Advocates for Rural Broadband. The group represents small, rural telecommunications providers across the country.
