DEBUNKING LIES:
Protecting Taxpayers from Swampy Special Interests that Want BEAD Money without any Oversight
BOTTOM LINE: The Trump NTIA is doing what every taxpayer should demand—asking questions before handing out billions of dollars. If special interests are upset that NTIA won’t give them a blank check, we should be asking: What do they have to hide?
MYTH: NTIA is shifting the rules of the BEAD program midstream, moving the goalposts and introducing “bait and-switch” tactics that disadvantage states and rural Americans.
FACT: NTIA is restoring integrity to the BEAD program by following the law as written in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. That’s in stark contrast to the Biden era free-for-all, where favored industries got rubber stamped funding with no guardrails, with taxpayers bearing the costs.
• NTIA’s “Benefit of the Bargain” reforms have been a huge success, saving taxpayers at least $13 billion. • NTIA is now doing what any responsible agency must: reviewing state proposals to ensure compliance and proper stewardship of public funds—and protecting against waste, fraud, and abuse.
• As NTIA clearly stated in its June 6, 2025 Restructuring Policy Notice: “NTIA reserves the right to reject an Eligible Entity’s selection of a project for a subgrant if such project would impose unreasonable costs on the BEAD Program.”
• It’s the exact opposite of a bait-and-switch—NTIA is abiding by the rules and restoring basic accountability. MYTH: NTIA is imposing arbitrary price caps, reversing course from its June 6 guidance.
FACT: There are no “arbitrary price caps”—just data-driven oversight.
• Consistent with its decision to decline to adopt a national excessive cost threshold, NTIA is using tailored, state-by-state data to identify outlier, unreasonably expensive projects. Press reports identifying a price cap are inaccurate. NTIA looks at each state individually, given their unique topography, geography, density, and local needs.
• In cases of projects flagged as excessively costly, NTIA is requesting additional information from the states and considering extenuating circumstances in its review process.
• What would be truly arbitrary? Greenlighting billions of dollars in unchecked spending without asking questions and performing due diligence.
MYTH: NTIA is overriding states, favoring satellite over fiber, and ignoring local expertise.
FACT: NTIA has afforded states significant deference to identify “priority broadband projects” and tailor solutions to local needs.
• Consistent with the IIJA, NTIA refused to impose nationwide technology mandates and instead provided significant deference to the states to select projects based on local conditions on the ground. • As the reviewer of these projects, NTIA’s role is to ensure compliance with federal law and taxpayer interests—not pick winners and losers.
MYTH: NTIA is giving states just 72 hours to run another BEAD bidding cycle, forcing them to select the lowest bid regardless of service quality.
FACT: False. NTIA is not requiring another BEAD bidding round.
• In cases where proposed costs are unreasonable (using state-by-state cost data), states will ask existing bidders in that project area to provide their best and final offer. In these limited cases, providers have already submitted bids and have the information they need to quickly submit a new bid or stand on their current one.
• This allows all providers, regardless of technology, another chance to compete for BEAD funding, rather than awarding all excessively high costs areas to one particular technology.
• Moving quickly for this is crucial, to ensure Final Proposals are approved within NTIA’s 90-day limit and connect Americans to broadband ASAP.
