Lutnick's announcement of Bead's revision also criticized what he called the “Woke Mandates” and “Burdensome Regulations” of the program. Republicans such as Sen. TED Cruz (R-Texas) have criticized a requirement for ISPs that accept subsidies to offer cheap internet plans to people with low incomes, although the cheap rule was originally imposed by the congress in the law that the BEAD program created.
Letter: Projects can be postponed for two years
Although Musk announced his deviation from the government last week and criticized a Trump expenditure law for alleged “undermined” Doge's cost-saving work, Trump still seems favorable to Starlink. Trump said in a press conference on Friday that Musk has saved with Starlink 'many lives, probably hundreds of lives in North Carolina', referring to Starlink that offers emergency connectivity after Hurricane Helene.
The letter from Democrats to Trump and Lutnick said that fibers and other terrestrial broadband technologies will be better than satellite, both for residential connectivity and business networks that support US production.
“Data centers, smart warehouses, robot-like assemblage lines and chip factories are all dependent on fast, stable and scalable bandwidth. If we want these job creations to be built in the United States, including rural areas … We must now act and we must now demand the high-speed networks,” said the latter, “,.
Democrats also said that the rewriting of the Trump government of program rules could delay two years of projects.
“States wait for six months to break the way on dozens of projects, only stopped by the bureaucratic delays of the Commerce Department,” said the letter. “If states are forced to re -do or re -process their plans, they will not only miss this year's building season, but also next year, which will postpone the broadband implementation with years. That is why we are urging the administration to quickly approve the state plans and release the $ 42 billion to the BEAD program.”
Trump said separately from Bead last month that he kills a broadband fair of $ 2.75 billion, authorized by the congress. The Digital Equity Act from 2021 provides different types of subsidies that benefit households with a low income, people who are at least 60 years old, locked up in state or local prisons and prisons, veterans, people with disabilities, people with language barriers, people who live in rural areas and people who are members of a racial minority group. Trump called the program 'racist and illegal' and said that his administration would stop distributing digital stock exchanges.
