Trump administration throws wrench into $42 billion broadband rollout

[Skye Jacobs]

The big picture: In a sudden policy shift, the Trump administration has thrown a wrench into the nation's largest broadband expansion effort, forcing states to overhaul plans to distribute $42 billion in federal funding aimed at closing the digital divide.

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has put the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program on pause, unveiling sweeping new rules last week that require states to rethink how they allocate grants to Internet service providers. The move has left state officials scrambling to adapt, erasing months – sometimes years – of preparation.

"We had been in position to be making awards this month, but for [the Trump administration's] deliberations and program changes, so it's pretty unfortunate," Andrew Butcher, president of the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) told Ars Technica. The MCA, established by a 2021 state law, leads Maine's BEAD planning and other broadband initiatives.

The timing could not be worse. "This is the construction season," Butcher explained. "We planned it so that projects would be able to get ready with their pre-construction activities and their construction activities beginning in the summer, so they would have all summer and through the fall and early winter to get in motion." Now, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which oversees BEAD, has delayed the process until at least late fall or early winter.

The BEAD program, created under the Biden administration, was designed to prioritize fiber-optic infrastructure, considered the gold standard for high-speed, reliable Internet. Over the past three years, federal officials developed detailed rules and reviewed plans from every state and territory. In Maine, that meant analyzing which homes and businesses lacked adequate service and inviting providers to bid on projects. Now, that work must be redone.

The Trump administration's changes don't stop at BEAD. Recently, President Trump eliminated a separate $2.7 billion grant program established by the Digital Equity Act of 2021, which was set to provide Maine with $35 million for programs like digital skills training, STEM education, and telehealth access.

A major point of contention has been the Biden administration's preference for fiber networks. Lutnick and other Republicans argued that fixed wireless and satellite providers, such as Starlink, should have equal access to grant funding. The NTIA's new rules require states to conduct an additional "Benefit of the Bargain Round" in their selection process, giving non-fiber providers a better chance to compete for grants.

As states like Maine race to retool their strategies, the future of America's broadband expansion hangs in the balance. For now, officials are left to compress years of planning into a matter of weeks, hoping that the promise of universal connectivity can survive another round of political upheaval.

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Trump administration throws wrench into $42 billion broadband rollout

 

[VitalyT]

Monkey with a wrench, sums up Trump administration.

They will reverse it in winter, and allocate funds for an ice chisel.

 

[BogdanR]

Oy vey! This is, by a fair margin, the most incompetent Administration in my lifetime.

 

[The Talking Tech]

Leave it to Trump to ruin anything and everything, as usual....what a ***** he is.

 

[Neatfeatguy]

In my area a handful of years ago Quantum Fiber came through. I moved to them from Xfinity - spending almost the same (about $10 more a month with QF) to have a $75 a month (for lifetime, or probably until the company gets bought by another - which tends to happen a lot more than folks might think - and they drop the "lifetime" price) for 1000/1000 speed with no download limit.

Xfinity, for about $65 I was getting 400/5 with 1.2TB download limit (after that, every 50GB was $10) and if I wanted their gig speeds it would be over $120 a month, plus the cost of equipment rental. Screw Xfinity.

There is also Verizon Fios in my area and MetroNet just finished running fiber optic cabling about 2-3 weeks ago through my neighborhood. Lots of options for me and fiber so I'm good. No more shitty Xfinity or a handful of other unknown named companies that piggyback off Xfinity's equipment.

As for the broadband "expansion" that Biden administration put into place, not one person has benefited from it yet. All states have turned in their application for funds by 2023 and yet nothing has been done yet. It was projected that any "expansion" done by this bill may not happen until 2025 or 2026 and seeing how nothing has expanded yet, a slight hold up by Trump's administration doesn't really seem to be causing any harm with the rate things have been progressing.

Folks need to calm down and stop jumping out to blame Trump. One could just as easily argue it was Biden's fault things haven't moved faster. In the end, the slowness of the overall Government is the one to blame, it's not just one administrations fault over the other.

 

[opckieran]

In my area a handful of years ago Quantum Fiber came through. I moved to them from Xfinity - spending almost the same (about $10 more a month with QF) to have a $75 a month (for lifetime, or probably until the company gets bought by another - which tends to happen a lot more than folks might think - and they drop the "lifetime" price) for 1000/1000 speed with no download limit.

Xfinity, for about $65 I was getting 400/5 with 1.2TB download limit (after that, every 50GB was $10) and if I wanted their gig speeds it would be over $120 a month, plus the cost of equipment rental. Screw Xfinity.

There is also Verizon Fios in my area and MetroNet just finished running fiber optic cabling about 2-3 weeks ago through my neighborhood. Lots of options for me and fiber so I'm good. No more shitty Xfinity or a handful of other unknown named companies that piggyback off Xfinity's equipment.

As for the broadband "expansion" that Biden administration put into place, not one person has benefited from it yet. All states have turned in their application for funds by 2023 and yet nothing has been done yet. It was projected that any "expansion" done by this bill may not happen until 2025 or 2026 and seeing how nothing has expanded yet, a slight hold up by Trump's administration doesn't really seem to be causing any harm with the rate things have been progressing.

Folks need to calm down and stop jumping out to blame Trump. One could just as easily argue it was Biden's fault things haven't moved faster. In the end, the slowness of the overall Government is the one to blame, it's not just one administrations fault over the other.

This. I have friends who are still stuck on DSL while their neighbors have Comcast or Fiber. I’m convinced the TDS agenda is to give away American tax dollars to anyone and everyone who shows up, minus the actual taxpayer.

 

[KedsDead]

Welp.. I guess letting boys beat up on girls in sports, isnt going so well for Maine.

 

[DrSuess]

Monkey with a wrench, sums up Trump administration.

They will reverse it in winter, and allocate funds for an ice chisel.

Come now, don't disparage monkeys. Monkeys are highly intelligent problem solvers and the Trump administration is not.

 

[Durch]

Ah yes, blame Trump for a program that rips off the taxpayer while the grant money seemingly disappears with little to no infrastructure being built, but instead say "we're planning to do something". This has been going on since Obama was in office for goodness sake.

These carriers make money hand over fist and raise rates every single year with little improvements to existing infrastructure let alone create new. Meanwhile their CEOs get a massive pay raise for screwing over the customer, throw money behind lobbyists to buy out the Republicans and Democrats while at the same time establish a monopoly to keep out competition.

 

[pnntmp]

The so called "broadband rollout" has never actually started, so there's nothing to throw a wrench into. It's just billions of dollars fraud and waste.
BEAD is like Season 2 of California's high speed railway.

The total number of homes connected to the internet due to BEAD is exactly 0. Zero. Nil.
But the amount of wasted and stolen money is very very very very very far above zero.

The wrench went into the fraud machinery.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

Ah yes, blame Trump for a program that rips off the taxpayer while the grant money seemingly disappears with little to no infrastructure being built, but instead say "we're planning to do something". This has been going on since Obama was in office for goodness sake.

These carriers make money hand over fist and raise rates every single year with little improvements to existing infrastructure let alone create new. Meanwhile their CEOs get a massive pay raise for screwing over the customer, throw money behind lobbyists to buy out the Republicans and Democrats while at the same time establish a monopoly to keep out competition.

The so called "broadband rollout" has never actually started, so there's nothing to throw a wrench into. It's just billions of dollars fraud and waste.
BEAD is like Season 2 of California's high speed railway.

The total number of homes connected to the internet due to BEAD is exactly 0. Zero. Nil.
But the amount of wasted and stolen money is very very very very very far above zero.

The wrench went into the fraud machinery.

EXCEPT, Trump didn't put a wrench into the fraud machinery.

He simply redirected the fraud to his own cronies.

I would cheer Trump on if he actually did what MAGA supporters believed, BUT he is expanding the swamp not draining it. Unfortunately, the majority of Americans are too busy assuming the other party is to blame and never notice both sides are doing the same thing.

 

[DukeJukem]

I don't think it really matters what Trump does/is doing because of these sentences.

"We planned it so that projects would be able to get ready with their pre-construction activities and their construction activities beginning in the summer, so they would have all summer and through the fall and early winter to get in motion."

"Over the past three years, federal officials developed detailed rules and reviewed plans from every state and territory."

So...all you've done is absolutely nothing then? How long does it take/how hard is it to figure out where to dig a long *** hole and bury some cable there? Fire yourselves 2.5 years ago lol.

I've burried massive sewer pipes for the water system in a few trailer parks with my dad like 20 years ago...took 4 days days with 3 dudes and a backhoe if that. You people are worthless lol get your garbage you call a thought process together and get off your asses and do something. Worthless people lol.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Ah yes, blame Trump for a program that rips off the taxpayer while the grant money seemingly disappears with little to no infrastructure being built, but instead say "we're planning to do something". This has been going on since Obama was in office for goodness sake.

These carriers make money hand over fist and raise rates every single year with little improvements to existing infrastructure let alone create new. Meanwhile their CEOs get a massive pay raise for screwing over the customer, throw money behind lobbyists to buy out the Republicans and Democrats while at the same time establish a monopoly to keep out competition.

Hell it's been going on since Clinton. Fiber buildout was occuring rampantly in the 90s. Never went live, but oh well!

It's always easier to bash Orange Man, for he is Bad, and that is not Good, instead of looking deeper at the corrupt cesspool that is the federal government's spending habits.

EXCEPT, Trump didn't put a wrench into the fraud machinery.

He simply redirected the fraud to his own cronies.

I would cheer Trump on if he actually did what MAGA supporters believed, BUT he is expanding the swamp not draining it. Unfortunately, the majority of Americans are too busy assuming the other party is to blame and never notice both sides are doing the same thing.

When those demanding change stop going thermonuclear on anyone who has an idea they consider VERBODEN, we may get somewhere.

 

[candle86]

So them saying spend it on wireless access instead is bad?

Fiber requires a lot of digging and a lot of money to go to each house in a rural area, while wireless requires a tower with a run of fiber to it from the main trunk to handle the data, it can cover a lot of distance, is it as fast as hard line? No it's not, but is it good enough, why yes, yes it is.

If we can get 5G rolled out nationwide including in Rural area's it's a good thing, it's fast enough for 99% of people, including for streaming and gaming, I use T-Mobile 5G as my primary internet and game, and torrent and stream sometimes all at once just fine. This will help more people than Biden's limit to only fiber. Anyone that can't see this is choosing to be willfully ignorant.