NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth Provides Congress an Update on BEAD
The House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications and Technology convened an oversight hearing focused on the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Administrator Arielle Roth was the sole witness. NTIA oversees the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, which was intended to provide grants for last-mile deployment in unserved and underserved areas. On June 6, 2025, the Trump NTIA issued new guidance for the BEAD Program. The guidance removed many Biden-era requirements, including a fiber technology preference and low-income plans. The June 2025 guidance directed eligible entities to run an additional “benefit-of-the-bargain” bidding round to ensure that awards reflected the changes made by the Administration and to submit final proposals by September 4, 2025. In the year since issuing the new guidance, NTIA has approved 54 out of 56 final proposals submitted by eligible entities, BEAD-funded infrastructure in two states has been deployed, and the program expects to "save" approximately $21 billion on deployment costs. What to do with the remaining money is to be determined. NTIA held a listening session to gather input on how this “nondeployment” money could be used by states, and is expected to provide guidance soon. Ideas include public safety, deployment to homes and businesses that may have been missed following the initial bidding round, workforce development, and permitting reform. The hearing, in part, was aiming at determining the status of BEAD deployment and nondeployment funding.
In his opening remarks, Subcommittee Chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC) said:
Administrator Roth and her team have done incredible work to save taxpayer dollars. Look no further than their work in D.C. Rather than rubber stamping D.C.'s BEAD proposal, Administrator Roth and her team traveled around the District to see the places where D.C. wanted to use BEAD funds. They found D.C. wanted to spend $70,000 per location to connect a field house, a construction trailer, a gated Pepco electric utility building, a shed along Amtrak train tracks, a nonexistent building along the same Amtrak train tracks, and an open field off the George Washington Parkway-locations that we can all agree do not need broadband. Following this work, D.C. confirmed that they had zero unserved or underserved locations that needed funding. I applaud NTIA's work in rooting out waste and generating real savings in this program.
NTIA's BEAD reforms have saved over $20 billion from the program. Now we must consider what to do with this 'nondeployment money.' Although the Infrastructure Law outlines some uses, NTIA still maintains significant discretion on how states can use this money. I have made no secret that I believe some of this money should be used to deploy Next Generation 9-1-1 nationwide. Deploying this internet protocol-based system at our 911 call centers will open the door to advanced tools for both the public and our first responders, directly supporting the intent of the Infrastructure Law.
Full Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) countered, saying:
Unfortunately, the Trump NTIA has strayed far from that mission since January 2025. Despite pushback from both Republicans and Democrats at all levels of government, the Trump NTIA is barreling ahead with its shady restructuring of the BEAD program while impounding billions of taxpayer dollars in grant funds across a number of programs authorized and appropriated by Congress.
Commerce Secretary Lutnick and NTIA Administrator Roth have repeatedly violated the law and defied Congressional intent in a manner that is increasing the cost of internet service and, I fear, opening the door to waste, fraud, and abuse.
Hidden behind the veil they call “the benefit of the bargain,” the Trump Administration forced states to throw out their broadband plans and bullied state broadband offices into awarding as many locations as possible to Elon Musk’s SpaceX on the basis that it is the cheapest option. Not the best option, or the right option, but the cheapest option. When it comes to critical infrastructure like bridges or pipelines, and yes, broadband, Americans just want the job done right.
Even then, low-Earth orbit (LEO) broadband solutions, like Musk’s Starlink, are only cheaper than the alternatives if you do not factor in each technology’s lifespan and costs over time.
Rep. Pallone said the results of Trump NTIA rules changes are condemning parts of rural America to "the connectivity equivalent of a band-aid," while failing to ensure "consumers have access to low-cost service options for their internet service, as the law intended."
Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA) challenged Administrator Roth on the decision to allow fixed wireless and satellite technology in the BEAD Program, arguing that those services are “inferior” to the fiber coverage Louisiana had initially planned and received approval for. Roth contended that performance rather than the technological delivery vehicle is the “gold standard” for the program and said she disagreed that mandating a single technology would deliver better outcomes. She stated performance data would be released.
In her testimony, Administrator Roth noted that satellite and wireless technologies have been key to NTIA's BEAD reforms. "At the start of the Administration, BEAD was weighed down by bureaucratic red tape, market-distorting restrictions, and heavy-handed, extralegal social mandates," she said. "Under Secretary Lutnick’s leadership, we restored BEAD to its statutory objective: universal connectivity delivered through competition, accountability, and respect for the law. The Benefit of the Bargain reforms lowered costs for taxpayers, increased skin in the game for providers, and will connect consumers faster."
During questioning from Members of the Subcommittee, Administrator Roth said guidance on nondeployment funding will come "this summer." She deferred specifics on the question of whether those funds will be held back from states that enact regulations on artificial intelligence, as directed by a presidential executive order. “We want the funding … to produce real measurable outcomes, be non-duplicative, non-distortionary….” Roth said. She added, “we’re proceeding cautiously in producing the guidance so that we can ensure that this funding achieves the same success as the first segment of the BEAD Program.”
Administrator Roth said that of the 56 states and territories, 52 had signed their grant agreements with NTIA and could draw down money. As reported by BroadbandBreakfast, only California and Illinois have yet to receive NTIA approval on their BEAD plans, which were submitted in 2024. Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) aid that NTIA “recently” sent California a new round of curing requests “with new issues and questions that NTIA had never previously raised.” Administrator Roth said there were some “mapping anomalies” the agency found during its review of the state’s tentative awards. “There were several examples in California where there were requests for really exorbitant amounts of money, ostensibly to serve apartments in the middle of nowhere,” she said. “So we had to work with the state to ensure that we address those mapping challenges.” She said “the ball is in California’s court” in terms of responding to the agency’s requested changes.
"I hope you're not breaking your arms patting yourselves on the back that this is better. This is the same," said Rep Peters to Republican Members of the subcommittee. "We have, instead of a three-year delay, we have a five-year delay, and I would love to see some of the same frustration that I showed with the administration of my own party on the other side of the aisle, to see the Republicans showing frustration with this, this implementation, because this is unacceptable. This is as unacceptable as it was at the beginning of this term."
California has a net neutrality law that NTIA is requiring states to exempt BEAD participants from throughout their in-state footprints.
Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) said NTIA told the state on May 26 that it would have to cut its deployment spending by $100 million to get federal approval. The state is planning to spend most of its more than $1 billion allocation on deployment projects based on its draft plan. “We have communicated changes to Illinois that we need to see,” Administrator Roth said. “The proposal that was submitted to us just didn’t meet the mark, in terms of finding efficiencies and meeting the principles of the benefit of the bargain reforms.” She said the agency was also waiting on a response from Illinois, “and we look forward to seeing their revised proposal.”
Administrator Roth said NTIA was working with states to find backup plans for “about a dozen” states in which providers had refused BEAD awards. “I think that’s to be expected in a program this size,” she said. “We planned and we have a process in place to ensure that areas that are subject to changes get served.” She said all told, only a little over 1 percent, or 40,000, of BEAD’s 4 million locations were affected by those changes. Between Texas, Oregon, Nebraska, and New Mexico, at least 54,000 locations were included in projects in which the winning bidder backed out.
Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA) asked if an impending rules change to the administration of grants under consideration by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is an effort to "claw back" non-deployment funds. "I have ... I am not familiar ... I ... I don't ... I ... no ... I do not ... We are operating under the assumption that states will be able to use their non-deployment funds," said Administrator Roth.
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