Citizens Against Government Waste
BEAD Renders USDA Broadband Programs Obsolete
Connecting unserved and underserved communities across the country to high-speed internet has long been a laudable goal. But after a May 10, 2023, Government Accountability Office report exposed more than 133 broadband-related programs across 15 federal agencies, now-Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said that up to $800 billion wa
Citizens Against Government Waste Names FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel October 2024 Porker of the Month
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel its October 2024 Porker of the Month for her decision to block funding for Starlink to deploy satellite internet service in hard-to-reach areas of the country. The FCC approved and then revoked SpaceX Starlink’s $885.5 million competitive award under the Rural Development Opportunity Fund (RDOF).
BEAD Affordability Plans
A look at each state’s response to the National Technology and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program Notice of Funding Opportunity’s (NOFO) Requirement 20 on Middle-Class Affordability and Requirement 16 for a Low-Cost Broadband Service Option. This list also provides background information on the degree of participation in BEAD by municipal, tribal, and other government-owned networks (GONs) in each state. Thirteen states have affordability strate
Citizens Against Government Waste Reviews First 10 States' Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Proposals
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) included $42.45 billion for broadband funding across the country, made available through the National Technology and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) sent comments to the NTIA prior to the release of the agency’s guidance for the BEAD program, urging the agency to “take a vendor and technology neutral approach to issuing grant funding,” and avoid supporting government owned networks, among other recommendations. After these recommendations were