D.C. Memo: Sen. Cruz Heaps Praise on Lutnick's BEAD Program Overhaul
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BEAD: It’s almost impossible to label Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) as undecided on anything of consequence. Cruz, a leading Capitol Hill figure on communications policy, yesterday issued an effusive statement about the updates to the $42.45 billion BEAD program announced last Friday by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “Kudos to Secretary Lutnick and the Trump administration for reversing course and refocusing BEAD on its core objective: connecting Americans to the Internet as expeditiously and efficiently as possible,” Cruz said. The Biden NTIA in 2023 promised Texas about $3.3 billion in BEAD funding. But in March, Glenn Hegar, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, disclosed that the state had accomplished so much broadband deployment on its own, it was possible the state would return nearly $1 billion from its BEAD allocation. In his statement, Cruz was critical of BEAD spending choices made by the Biden NTIA. “This [Lutnick] guidance prioritizes value, ensuring that the American taxpayer isn’t on the hook for excessive Biden-era rules that would have spent more than $100,000 per connection in some spots,” Cruz said. “Now is the time to finish the job. I am confident that NTIA, under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Lutnick, will do just that.” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., told Cardinal News his home state got shortchanged by Lutnick. “NTIA should be using this program to deliver future-proof networks that can meet the demands of today and more importantly, the demands of the future, as new advances like AI require more bandwidth,” Warner said. “This new NOFO [notice of funding opportunity] fails that test and sets back states like Virginia that have moved quickly to meet the law’s requirements.”
