After years of delays in deploying funding for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, lawmakers on Wednesday said the focus must shift from planning to construction, with “shovels in the ground” across the country.
Speaking at The INCOMPAS Policy Summit in Washington, D.C., Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, said broadband deployment remains one of his top priorities.
“The new haves and have-nots in America are those who have broadband access and those who have not,” Hudson said.
The $42.45 billion BEAD program, overseen by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), was created as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program provides broadband access grants to underserved or unserved communities.
The program has faced criticism for its slow rollout. However, Hudson said recent changes to the program under the Trump administration have begun to accelerate progress, noting that NTIA has now approved funding for 43 states.
“I’m very encouraged by what I’m seeing from NTIA. I’m anxious. Let’s get some shovels going. Let’s get this broadband deployed,” Hudson said.
Hudson also pointed to the program’s significant “non-deployment” funding – estimated at $15 billion to $20 billion – as an area where Congress may seek clearer priorities. He suggested using some of those dollars to advance next-generation 911 capabilities, which he described as “a top priority” for him.
Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, also a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, echoed the urgency of moving federal dollars into real-world broadband builds.
“My first priority is get the money out the door,” Landsman said. “We have got to do a better job of deploying the … [non-deployment] dollars.”
Landsman said he believes the non-deployment funds should be put towards helping Americans afford broadband, noting that the lapse of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) was “a shame.”
“There are a lot of families that need help paying for this, and so I would love to see dollars be used to help folks pay for it,” Landsman said.
He added that part of what’s in the non-deployment funding plan is digital literacy training, which “sounds good” but is not effective if Americans can’t afford devices.
“It’s like saying to somebody, ‘We’re going to train you on an iPhone, but you don’t get an iPhone. We’re just going to train you on it,’” Landsman said, adding, “The ACP, or some version of that, to help people pay for this or subsidize it so they can afford it, makes all the sense in the world.”
Landsman said that he still has concerns around the BEAD program, noting that “it requires dedicated leadership, and I think an ongoing attention from the United States Congress, from Energy and Commerce, to keep the dollars rolling out the door.”
As the BEAD program transitions from state planning to construction, lawmakers said the focus must remain on execution and ensuring permitting obstacles do not derail deployment.
“You could throw all the money in the world at this problem, but it’s not going to solve it because the bottleneck of broadband is permitting,” Hudson said, adding that he’s “cautiously optimistic” the House will pass a permitting reform package this year.
“There’s a real commitment, I think, a growing energy in terms of permitting reform in the House,” Landsman added.