John Thune Rails Against 'Extraneous Requirements' In Biden-Era Internet Connection Program

3/27/2025

During remarks on the Senate floor Thursday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) spoke about 'extraneous requirements' imposed on a $42 billion internet connectivity program created during the Biden Administration.

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Transcript

00:00Mr. President, broadband deployment has long been a priority of mine.

00:04It's something that's important to my home state of South Dakota,

00:08where many rural communities still lack access to a reliable Internet connection.

00:12And it's something I've worked extensively here on in the Senate.

00:16More than three years ago, Congress created the $42.5 billion BEAD program

00:23to bring broadband services to unserved parts of the country, like those in my state.

00:29It was the single largest federal investment in broadband expansion ever made.

00:34But to date, it has not connected a single household to the Internet.

00:40That's right, not one dollar of this $42 billion program

00:45has gone to connect even one household to the Internet.

00:48You might ask why.

00:51Well, because the Biden administration chose to add a host of conditions to the funding

00:55that made it unworkable for many providers, like those serving rural areas,

00:59in my home state of South Dakota.

01:01They added union labor and climate requirements.

01:05And despite the law itself banning rate regulation,

01:08the Biden administration tried to add that, too.

01:12The Biden administration took a program that promised to advance an important bipartisan priority

01:19and overburdened it with rules and mandates.

01:24The Biden administration added so many requirements that the program couldn't fulfill its core function,

01:29which was connecting households to the Internet.

01:32So we're in a situation today where you have a $42 billion program

01:39that hasn't connected a single household to the Internet

01:42after, I might add, three-plus years since its enactment.

01:46Think about that.

01:48$42 billion, three years ago, authorized.

01:52Not a single dollar spent, not a single household connected.

01:55Why?

01:56Because the Biden administration weighted it down with so much of their liberal wish list agenda

02:04that the providers in this country were unable to even use it.

02:08Well, now we've got a new administration in the White House.

02:11And Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is committed to finally getting this program off the ground

02:16and beginning to connect unserved Americans to the Internet.

02:20This morning, I'm sending a letter to Secretary Lutnick with several of my colleagues in the Commerce Committee

02:25urging his department to remove the Biden administration's extraneous requirements

02:32that are preventing this program from doing what it was designed to do.

02:35We're asking Secretary Lutnick to look at the restrictive labor requirements in the program

02:42that disadvantage rural communities and states with few union workers,

02:47right-to-work states like mine in South Dakota.

02:50We're urging the Commerce Department to remove provisions that favor government-owned networks

02:56over private investments and guidelines that prioritize certain technologies over others,

03:02which contradicts, again, Congress's direction for the program to be technology neutral.

03:08And we are urging the elimination of climate change mandates and rate regulation

03:15that create unnecessary barriers that slow deployment and increase costs.

03:20These regulations undermine the very purpose of the BEAD program.

03:24And by reviewing and ultimately eliminating these unnecessary requirements,

03:29we can ensure that this funding is finally deployed to expand broadband access to unserved areas

03:34quickly and efficiently.

03:37I appreciate that President Trump and Secretary Lutnick are both focused on ensuring

03:42that this program lives up to its goal.

03:45And I look forward to continuing to work with them to eliminate the red tape

03:50that has undermined its effectiveness and meant that not a single dollar

03:56or single household, single dollar spent or single household connected

04:01in three-plus years since its enactment.

04:04That's, frankly, it's staggering.

04:09The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA,

04:12which is responsible for administering the BEAD program,

04:15will need to be a key partner in that effort.

04:18This afternoon, the Commerce Committee is holding a hearing with Ariel Roth,

04:23a staffer for the Commerce Committee and President Trump's nominee, to lead the NTIA.

04:29Ms. Roth is very familiar with the burdens that have weighed down the BEAD program,

04:34and I'm looking forward to working with her to remove these barriers

04:37to broadband deployment after she's confirmed.

04:40Mr. President, many parts of our country have waited a long time for broadband deployment,

04:45and the unnecessary and extraneous rules the Biden administration imposed on the BEAD program

04:51have only prolonged that wait.

04:55It is time, it is high time, Mr. President, to remove these barriers

04:59and start getting households connected to the Internet.

05:02Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest we have some quorum.

05:06I call the roll.

05:07Ms. Osso-Brooks.

John Thune Rails Against 'Extraneous Requirements' In Biden-Era Internet Connection Program

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