Austin News

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has called for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to halt its current activities under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. Cruz, who will soon chair the Senate Commerce Committee, expressed concerns over what he described as NTIA's "unlawful" mandates that hinder internet access in unserved communities.

Cruz's letter follows an admission by NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson regarding $250 million spent on hiring government employees and contractors for a program that has not yet provided internet connectivity to any Americans. Cruz criticized this expenditure as a misuse of taxpayer funds.

“Under your leadership, NTIA has repeatedly ignored the text of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in administering the $42.45 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program," wrote Cruz. He accused NTIA of imposing unnecessary mandates on states and delaying internet access delivery.

Cruz plans to investigate various aspects of the BEAD program, including what he calls "extreme technology bias," rate regulation imposition, unionized workforce requirements, climate change assessments, and other central planning mandates.

“The only substantive response in your letter revealed that since the program's inception, you have spent—or rather wasted—over $250 million hiring government employees and contractors to ‘administer’ a program that hasn’t even launched,” Cruz stated.

Cruz anticipates significant changes with new leadership at both NTIA and Congress following President-elect Trump's indications. He asserts these changes will relieve states from what he describes as unlawful bureaucratic obstacles imposed by the Biden-Harris administration.

“As Chairman, I will monitor this matter... Congress will review the BEAD program early next year," said Cruz. He emphasized allowing states to expand connectivity based on their community needs without burdensome requirements.

He urged NTIA to pause its current BEAD activities until it addresses his concerns: “I therefore urge NTIA to pause unlawful extraneous BEAD activities...”

In August, Cruz demanded answers about funding withheld from BEAD for building bureaucracy allegedly tied to left-wing policies like rate regulation and climate change regulations. These actions reportedly caused delays in expanding internet access according to Cruz’s Red Light Report published last year.

To date, NTIA has not responded comprehensively to these inquiries or provided detailed financial breakdowns requested by Sen. Cruz regarding administrative spending within BEAD.