âBroadband Czarâ Harris Must Be Held Accountable for Mismanagement of Federal Initiatives
âIt appears that your performance as âbroadband czarâ has mirrored your performance as âborder czar,â marked by poor management and a lack of effectiveness despite significant federal broadband investments and your promises to deliver broadband to rural areas.â
WASHINGTON, D.C. â U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, today led his colleagues in sending a letter to Vice President Kamala Harris regarding her egregious mismanagement of federal broadband initiatives. In 2021, President Biden specifically tasked the vice president to lead the administrationâs effort to expand broadband services to rural, unserved communities. Under Vice President Harrisâs tenure as the âbroadband czar,â the Biden-Harris administrationâs $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program has yet to connect a single person to the internet.
âInstead of focusing on delivering broadband services to unserved areas, your administration has used the BEAD program to add partisan, extralegal requirements that were never envisioned by Congress and have obstructed broadband deployment,â wrote the senators. âBy imposing burdensome climate change mandates on infrastructure projects, prioritizing government-owned networks over private investment, mandating the use of unionized labor in states, and seeking to regulate broadband rates, your administration has caused unnecessary delays leaving millions of Americans unconnected.â
The letter was also signed by U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.).
Full letter below:
Dear Vice President Harris:
We are writing to express serious concerns regarding your role as the Biden-Harris administrationâs âbroadband czarâ and the mismanagement of federal broadband initiatives under your leadership. It appears that your performance as âbroadband czarâ has mirrored your performance as âborder czar,â marked by poor management and a lack of effectiveness despite significant federal broadband investments and your promises to deliver broadband to rural areas.
As you are aware, Congress, through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, provided the National Telecommunications and Information Administration with $42.45 billion for the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. These funds are intended to provide broadband access to unserved communities, particularly those in rural areas.
In 2021, you were specifically tasked by President Biden to lead the administrationâs efforts to expand broadband services to unserved Americans. And at the time, you stated, âwe can bring broadband to rural America today.â Despite your assurances over three years ago, rural and unserved communities continue to wait for the connectivity they were promised. Under your leadership, not a single person has been connected to the internet using the $42.45 billion allocated for the BEAD program. Indeed, Politico recently reported on âthe messy, delayed rollout ofâ this program.
Instead of focusing on delivering broadband services to unserved areas, your administration has used the BEAD program to add partisan, extralegal requirements that were never envisioned by Congress and have obstructed broadband deployment. By imposing burdensome climate change mandates on infrastructure projects, prioritizing government-owned networks over private investment, mandating the use of unionized labor in states, and seeking to regulate broadband rates, your administration has caused unnecessary delays leaving millions of Americans unconnected.
The administrationâs lack of focus on truly connecting the unconnected has failed the American people and represents a gross misuse of limited taxpayer dollars. The American public deserves better.
Sincerely,
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