Lutnick’s BEAD Pivot: Progress Through Pragmatism
The U.S. Commerce Department plans to revamp the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program with a shift toward a more technology-neutral approach, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced yesterday, adding that his department is also exploring ways to cut the program’s red tape.
Lutnick’s announcement follows criticisms of BEAD’s initial focus on fiber-optic deployment, which some argue neglects the potential of other technologies like satellite and fixed wireless to extend broadband connectivity, particularly in rural areas. Lutnick pledged that the department—which includes the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which oversees the BEAD program—would be “ripping out the Biden administration’s pointless requirements” and “revamping the BEAD program to take a tech-neutral approach that is rigorously driven by outcomes so that states can provide internet access for the lowest cost.” He also emphasized streamlining infrastructure construction.
The announcement comes amid Republican pressure to ease BEAD’s regulations, with House Energy and Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) introducing the SPEED for BEAD Act to eliminate “unnecessary and expensive regulations.”