The Trump administration has dramatically restructured the Biden-era Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, leading to projected savings of $21 billion while broadening internet access for millions of Americans. Arielle Roth, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, outlined the transformation in a speech Tuesday at the Free State Foundation event held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
Under President Joe Biden, BEAD was funded with $42.5 billion through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act but failed to deliver results. Roth, who leads the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), said the original program was mired in “bureaucratic red tape, market-distorting restrictions, and heavy-handed, extralegal social mandates.”
Among the problematic Biden-era requirements were union labor mandates, restrictions on wireless and satellite options, climate-related project criteria, and price control regulations. These mandates created confusion and delays in states like Virginia and discouraged private sector participation.
In contrast, the Trump administration’s reforms, instituted through Roth’s “Benefit of the Bargain” plan in June, streamlined the process, removed restrictive rules, and focused on cost-effective, technology-neutral solutions. As a result, providers who had withdrawn under Biden’s mandates returned, boosting competition and lowering costs.
Louisiana connected over 127,000 locations at $220 million less than under the Biden plan. West Virginia saw a 10% increase in private matching funds and a 43% cost drop. In Georgia, private investment exceeded federal contributions by 170%, helping the state operate with $1 billion less than its initial allocation.
Texas, once the slowest under Biden’s regulations, beat its broadband deadline by a month under Trump’s plan. Virginia doubled its application volume due to simplified requirements.
Roth emphasized that market-driven solutions, not top-down mandates, led to these successes. “States, freed from one-size-fits-all mandates, could evaluate projects on a granular basis and select those that truly fit their needs,” she said. She highlighted the need to embrace technology diversity across America’s varied terrain and population densities.
On Tuesday, Roth also announced the approval of BEAD plans for nine more states, including South Dakota, Nebraska, and Ohio. She warned against the dangers of centralized technology mandates, stating that they can hinder innovation and even affect national security in the global tech race.
NTIA’s efforts to finalize approvals for all remaining states are expected to conclude by year-end. Roth signaled that further program savings could be announced in early 2026.
