Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the FCC, said on X (Twitter) that Pennsylvania has not yet spent a dime of its federal allotment for broadband internet.
“Pennsylvania alone is supposed to be getting $1.16 billion of the $42B based on needing to extend the Internet to 278,536 unserved homes and businesses. But not one of those locations have been connected with these dollars. There’s still time to correct course & start connecting communities. Begin by eliminating the DEI mandates, dropping the climate change agenda, reversing the unlawful technology bias, and cutting out the layers of needless red tape added on by the Biden-Harris Administration. Three years ago.”
Pennsylvania’s Broadband Equity, Access and Development Program (BEAD) five-year action plan was approved by the federal government in October 2023. According to Penny Ickes, communications director for the state Department of Community & Economic Development, applications will be open this fall and guidelines are expected in late summer.
But critics say this is too slow.
Timothy Lee, vice president of legal public affairs for the Center for Individual Freedom, told DVJournal, “It seems like a slow rollout.”
“And unfortunately, the delay is caused by bureaucratic obstacles that are easily avoidable. We’ve got to get to work on this. I mean we’re talking about $42 billion allocated years ago, and whatever other flaws that might exist in the infrastructure bill, expanding broadband to rural America is a worthy goal.”
“Unfortunately, since then, bureaucratic hang-ups like price controls, which are, by the way, contrary to the law itself. And Biden administration officials promised that they would not engage in that.”
Another issue is ownership of utility poles and municipal government rules, he said.
“The people who pay the price are the supposed beneficiaries of this, rural Americans who currently don’t have broadband,” said Lee. “So, we need to get to work fixing these things,” Lee said.
While Congress allocated the money, Lee said the Biden administration’s “administrative agencies” have delayed its start.
“We need all these administrative agencies to streamline this,” said Lee. “The nationwide broadband plan shouldn’t be hung up by individual states. It’s sort of like a spaghetti bowl of regulations.”
“Because it’s the federal government, the Interstate Commerce Clause governs, so states should not interfere,” said Lee. “And we need the Biden administration to stop demanding that rate regulation occur.”
“Price controls never work,” said Lee, pointing to the gasoline crisis in the 1970s that stemmed from price controls. “They don’t reduce prices. What they do is make something unfeasible because the companies the government needs to work in expanding the broadband can’t do these things below a certain price.”
U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) said he was “proud to have been an architect” of the “landmark bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.”
“BEAD funding is administered through the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA)—an independent, bipartisan agency that shares in my mission to ensure affordable and robust high-speed broadband infrastructure and services for all Pennsylvanians.
“In creating the BEAD Program, the IIJA created a multi-step, multi-year approval process through the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA). The PBDA has been working to complete the process, and according to their website, funding will be allocated following NTIA’s approval, at which time they will subsequently ‘award subgrants to approved, eligible applicants before the end of 2024’.
“I remain committed to continuing my efforts to ensure the timely and effective expenditure of the funds authorized through Congress for the benefit of our PA-1 community and all Pennsylvanians,” said Fitzpatrick.
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester) declined to comment. Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery) and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Delaware) did not respond to requests for comment. Likewise, Senators Bob Casey Jr. and John Fetterman did not respond to requests for comment.
Carr continued to excoriate the Biden administration via social media.
“It gets worse. In 2020, Starlink won an FCC award to quickly & efficiently offer Internet to 642,000 homes & businesses. But the FCC revoked that award in 2023. The revocation hit states like Pennsylvania particularly hard (because) it had 59,200 locations covered by the award. The 2023 Commission decision to revoke the Starlink award only came after the Administration gave agencies the green light to go (after Elon) Musk. The government’s approach to broadband infrastructure should be guided by smart policies, not partisan score-settling,” Carr said via X.
Carr noted, “In 2021, @VP Harris agreed to lead the Administration’s signature effort to expand Internet infrastructure. Congress then provided $42 billion for the work. It’s now been 987 days since the plan was enacted & 0 Americans have been connected, 0 Shovels worth of dirt turned.”
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