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House Energy and Commerce hearing spotlights BEED delays and partisan fight over implementation
Summary
Lawmakers and industry witnesses told the Energy and Commerce subcommittee that states have completed planning steps for the $42.5 billion BEED program but Commerce Department reviews and disputed implementation rules have stalled money and projects.
Chairman (subcommittee) opened the March hearing by saying, “Closing the digital divide is a top priority for this committee,” and pressed for answers after multiple lawmakers and witnesses described lengthy BEED implementation delays.
The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program (BEED), created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), authorizes $42,500,000,000 to connect unserved households. Several witnesses testified that states and providers have spent years preparing applications and proposals but that Commerce Department review and new administration action have frozen final awards. "States are on the 1 yard line," Sarah Morris, former acting deputy administrator at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), told the committee, saying three states had completed the statutory process and more than half of states were…
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