Return the BEAD Bonus to Taxpayers

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has confirmed that the state proposals for funding under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program are projected to save more than $20 billion and could reach $22 billion after California submits its final bid. Texas alone saved more than $2 billion of its original allocation, more than any other state. BEAD received $42.45 billion in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and the estimated savings of $25 billion would mean that only 40 percent of the original amount was necessary. While the IIJA allows the surplus funds to be spent on “other activities related to improving broadband,” such spending requires approval by NTIA. While the IIJA allows the surplus funds to be spent on “other activities related to improving broadband,” such spending requires approval by NTIA. Citizens Against Government Waste agrees with former Federal Communications Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, who said, “the savings [from BEAD] should inure to the American taxpayer.”