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Floor Speech

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Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, as a Senator from a rural State and a former chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, expanding broadband access to rural areas has long been a priority of mine. I have done a lot of work on this issue, which is precisely why I was so concerned when the infrastructure bill proposed $42 billion for rural broadband to be funneled through the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA.

I was doubtful whether NTIA was capable of administering $42 billion, given its previous struggles to administer a fraction of that amount of money. And, unfortunately, those concerns have turned out to be well- founded.

The Biden-Harris administration's signature broadband initiative and Vice President Harris's tenure as broadband czar have been nothing short of a disaster. It has been nearly 3 years since the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment, or what we call the BEAD program, was established at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to provide broadband access to unserved communities. Three years. And in all that time, the program has not connected a single household to the internet.

Let me say that again. It has been nearly 3 years--and to be precise, 1,044 days--since the BEAD program was established. And in all of that time--over 1,000 days--the program has not connected a single household to the internet. A logical question would be: Why? Please, tell us why?

Well, it is a story--a sad story--of government inefficiency and progressivism run amok. Instead of focusing on delivering broadband services to unserved areas, the Biden-Harris administration loaded down the BEAD program with a liberal wish list of requirements that were never envisioned by Congress and have obstructed broadband deployment: climate change mandates, prioritizing government-owned networks over private investment, biased technology mandates, prioritizing the use of union labor, attempts to impose price controls in direct violation of the law, DEI hiring priorities.

What should have been a straightforward application and approval process for building networks has become a literal morass. Why, oh why, Mr. President, should rural telecoms in South Dakota be talking about climate change mandates in building out broadband networks to serve underserved people in rural areas of the country?

As if the list of woke requirements weren't enough, it has been matched by massive inefficiency from the administration.

One State official who recently testified before the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House had this to say about the program's implementation:

States face a common issue--navigating the complex BEAD process. NTIA's functional requests are akin to building a plane while flying it without having the necessary instructions to be successful. NTIA has provided either no guidance, guidance given too late, or guidance changing midstream, all with a lack of appreciation for State operations and costs and the needs of our telecommunications providers.

Another official from another State described BEAD as--and I quote again--``the most burdensome Federal program'' she has ever imagined. The most burdensome Federal program she has ever imagined. And worse yet, ever had to manage.

Given all this, I suppose it is no surprise that not only has broadband not reached even one household through the BEAD program, but construction projects haven't even begun. Current expectations for the start of construction on various BEAD projects range from sometime next year to sometime in 2026--2026. We are already at 1,044 days since this program was enacted. Not a single dollar has been allocated out of the $42 billion.

Well, if this is what things look like with Vice President Harris as broadband czar, I shudder to think what things would look like if she were in charge of the entire Federal Government.

This isn't the first time I sounded the alarm on the implementation of the BEAD program and the burdensome and extra legal requirements the Biden administration--the Biden-Harris administration, I should say-- has imposed. I have been joined in this by Commerce Committee Ranking Member Senator Cruz, who shares my concerns, as well as other committee Republicans who share those concerns as well. I would like to see some of my Democratic colleagues taking a closer look at BEAD implementation and broadband implementation more generally.

As the BEAD program makes very clear, you can throw a lot--a lot--$42 billion a lot--a lot of taxpayer money at a problem and still not get results. I would like to see the Commerce Committee conduct a lot more oversight of the programs and Agencies under its jurisdiction.

It has been more than 1,500 days since the last Federal Communications Commission oversight hearing at the Commerce Committee-- the committee, the principal committee of jurisdiction over the FCC.

In fact, we haven't had a single FCC oversight hearing since Democrats took control of the Senate back in 2021. And despite the ongoing failure of the BEAD program at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, we haven't held a single hearing on NTIA yet in this Congress. While I understand that highlighting the failure of the Biden-Harris administration's signature broadband initiative is probably not high on Democrats' priority list, our obligation to the American people and our concern for the millions of Americans without broadband access should put BEAD oversight at the top of the Commerce Committee's agenda.

Mr. President, the BEAD program's failure certainly highlights the fact that Vice President Harris has been no more effective as broadband czar as she has been as border czar. It also points to a larger problem--larger problems--with progressivism, like big promises, poor results, and the prioritization of liberal social fantasies over the needs of the American people. I suspect that if ``Broadband Czar'' Harris becomes President Harris, the BEAD program will not be the last disastrous government program we see on her watch.

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