Baldwin Demands Trump Lift Hold on High-Speed Internet Funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and her colleagues are demanding that the Trump Administration release funding for states under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. This program connects families in the hardest-to-serve communities to high-speed internet and works to close the digital divide. 

“To unlock the full strength of the U.S. economy, every community must have access to the vast opportunities enabled by broadband, and this can be achieved by your Administration following the law as outlined in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58),” wrote Baldwin and the Senators.

“Currently, there are multiple states ready for broadband providers to put shovels in the ground tomorrow,” Baldwin and the Senators continued. “NTIA must act swiftly to release BEAD funding to states that have already been approved and expeditiously work to approve the remaining eligible applications. Time is of the essence, and our rural and tribal communities cannot afford more delays.”

Senator Baldwin has long championed expanding high-speed internet access across Wisconsin. Senator Baldwin previously secured $1.05 billion for Wisconsin through the BEAD program after successfully pushing the Federal Communications Commission to release an updated National Broadband Map that provided a more reliable and accurate depiction of the broadband availability across Wisconsin.

The letter was led by Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and also co-signed by Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Gary Peters (D-MI), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), and Angus King (I-ME).

The full letter is available here and below.

Dear President Trump:

We write with concern regarding the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) recent announcement that it is delaying the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. This unprecedented move by the NTIA will further delay our communities from having the connectivity they need to grow and thrive. To unlock the full strength of the U.S. economy, every community must have access to the vast opportunities enabled by broadband, and this can be achieved by your Administration following the law as outlined in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58).

The intent of Congress when it created and appropriated over $42 billion for the bipartisan BEAD program was to connect the hardest-to-serve Americans to high-speed internet and finally close the digital divide. Congress explicitly shaped this program to give deference to states, so they could address the unique challenges their states face reaching the goals of the program Congress mandated.

Currently, there are multiple states ready for broadband providers to put shovels in the ground tomorrow. Forty-two states have begun or completed their BEAD application process. Three states have even had their applications fully approved and yet are waiting on funds to be released by your Administration. Many states have applications that are tech-neutral and dramatically more cost-effective than previous projects funded by federal broadband programs, all while fulfilling the program’s mission to bring high-speed, reliable broadband to all unserved communities in their state. The attempts by NTIA to revise the state application process at this late stage will cause further delays to the program and leave rural and tribal communities behind in an increasingly connected economy. NTIA must act swiftly to release BEAD funding to states that have already been approved and expeditiously work to approve the remaining eligible applications. Time is of the essence, and our rural and tribal communities cannot afford more delays.

It is imperative to follow the law, deliver on the promise of access to affordable high-speed internet, and ensure that every American, regardless of where they live, has the tools to succeed in the modern economy.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

###