Majority Leader | Press Release | Press Releases | THE NE...Skip to primary navigation Skip to content×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNE×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNExxsearchxMENUFacebookXInstagramFacebookXInstagramVisit Leader Thune's South Dakota Site Here THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNExxsearchxMENUHomeTHE NEWSROOMPress Releases03.27.25Thune Urges Administration to Correct Biden-Harris Broadband Failures“[W]e are urging the elimination of climate change mandates and rate regulation that create unnecessary barriers that slow deployment and increase costs.” Click here to watch the video.WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):“Mr. President, broadband deployment has long been a priority of mine.“It’s something that’s important to my home state of South Dakota, where many rural communities still lack access to a reliable internet connection.“And it’s something I’ve worked extensively here on in the Senate.“More than three years ago, Congress created the $42.5 billion BEAD program to bring broadband services to unserved parts of the country, like those in my state.“It was the single largest federal investment in broadband expansion ever made.“But to date, it has not connected a single household to the internet.“That’s right.“Not one dollar of this $42 billion program has gone to connect even one household to the internet.“Now, you might ask, ‘Why?’“Well, because the Biden administration chose to add a host of conditions to the funding that made it unworkable for many providers like those serving rural areas in my home state of South Dakota. “They added union labor and climate requirements.“And despite the law itself banning rate regulation, the Biden administration tried to add that too.“The Biden administration took a program that promised to advance an important bipartisan priority and overburdened it with rules and mandates.“The administration added so many requirements that the program couldn’t fulfill its core function, which was connecting households to the internet.“So we’re in a situation today where you have a $42 billion program that hasn’t connected a single household to the internet – after, I might add, three-plus years since its enactment.“Think about that.“$42 billion, three years ago, authorized.“Not a single dollar spent.“Not a single household connected.“Why?“Because the Biden administration weighted it down with so much of their… liberal wish list agenda that the providers in this country were unable to even use it.“Well, now we’ve got a new administration in the White House.“And Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has committed to finally get this program off the ground and beginning to connect unserved Americans to the internet.“This morning, I’m sending a letter to Secretary Lutnick with several of my colleagues on the Commerce Committee urging his department to remove the Biden administration’s extraneous requirements that are preventing this program from doing what it was designed to do.“We’re asking Secretary Lutnick to look at the restrictive labor requirements in the program that disadvantage rural communities and states with few union workers, right-to-work states like mine in South Dakota. “We’re urging the Commerce Department… to remove provisions that favor government-owned networks over private investments and guidelines that prioritize certain technologies over others – which contradicts, again, Congress’ direction for the program to be technology-neutral.“And we are urging the elimination of climate change mandates and rate regulation that create unnecessary barriers that slow deployment and increase costs.“These regulations undermine the very purpose of the BEAD program.“And by reviewing and ultimately eliminating these unnecessary requirements, we can ensure that this funding is finally deployed to expand broadband access to unserved areas quickly and efficiently. “I appreciate that President Trump and Secretary Lutnick are both focused on ensuring that this program lives up to its goal.“And I look forward to continuing to work with them to eliminate the red tape that has undermined its effectiveness – and meant that not a… single dollar spent or single household connected in three-plus years since its enactment.“That’s – frankly, it’s staggering.“The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA, which is responsible for administering the BEAD program, will need to be a key partner in that effort.“This afternoon, the Commerce Committee is holding a hearing with Arielle Roth, a staffer for the Commerce Committee and President Trump’s nominee to lead the NTIA.“Ms. Roth is very familiar with the burdens that have weighed down the BEAD program.“And I’m looking forward to working with her to remove these barriers to broadband deployment after she is confirmed.“Mr. President, many parts of our country have waited a long time for broadband deployment.“And the unnecessary and extraneous rules the Biden administration imposed on the BEAD program have only prolonged that wait. “It is time – it is high time, Mr. President – to remove these barriers and start getting households connected to the internet.”Related Issues: Broadband, CommercePrintEmailTweetPreviousTHE NEWSROOMSENATE RESOURCESABOUT LEADER THUNEFacebookXInstagram
