Over 40 Democratic members of Congress, along with one Independent senator, have voiced their opposition to changes suggested for the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. They claim the new rules allow applicants to exclude unserved locations, contradicting the original intent to ensure broadband access for all. The letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick warns that these proposed changes may lead to less connectivity and degrade existing services, thus failing to guarantee affordable broadband access. The new rules, released earlier this month, impose new financial criteria that favor the lowest-cost applicants in funding allocation.
The restructuring notice appears to violate this requirement by allowing applicants to exclude certain unserved locations. Such an allowance would defy bipartisan congressional intent.
The letter suggests BEAD changes contemplated by Lutnick and the Trump administration are contrary to this priority.
The signees suggested that the provisions intended to ensure that broadband services are affordable and put to good use are not being met.
In addition to leaving unserved without connectivity, the letter to Lutnick suggests that the BEAD changes likely would result in degraded service to some with connectivity.
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