D.C. Memo: Carr Says Cost of BEAD's Fiber Approach 'Unsustainable'
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Carr: If it were his call, incoming FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the Commerce Department’s BEAD program would drop its fiber-first approach because states will run out of money if they can’t rely on alternative technologies to fund broadband deployment. Speaking yesterday to reporters after the FCC’s public meeting in Washington,D.C., Carr said BEAD’s enabling law did not prioritize fiber, the most expensive technology to deploy with longer build times to boot. “I do think returning to that core legislative concept of tech neutrality, ultimately informed and dictated by Commerce leadership, is the right way to go, because the current path that we're on with BEAD is unsustainable,” Carr said. By his count, Carr said about a dozen states will run out of money before delivering on Internet for all because of BEAD’s current prioritization of fiber. “You have a lot of states, I think over a dozen states by last estimate, that are crying uncle and saying, ‘You know, under this current fiber-heavy approach, we are going to run out of money before we deliver on all of our digital goals,’” Carr said. Carr stressed that changes to the BEAD program, if any, will be made by Commerce officials appointed by President Trump. “I'm happy to offer my views -- haven't been too shy over the years -- but ultimately this is going to be their call.”
