The head of the largest federal broadband program in US history said goodbye to his coworkers in an email on Sunday morning. Evan Feinman raised concerns that changing the rules to benefit Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet company could leave millions of rural Americans with slow internet speeds.
Feinman was previously in charge of the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, which was established as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. He expressed worries about proposed changes to the program that could favor satellite connections over fiber optic ones.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, under the Department of Commerce, distributes BEAD funds to each state. The previous administration prioritized deploying fiber optic connections to rural areas, which are considered the most reliable form of internet.
However, the current Commerce Secretary is considering a more technology-neutral approach, which could benefit Starlink with billions of dollars in funding. Critics are concerned that this shift could hinder the progress of bridging the digital divide in rural America.
Starlink’s service has faced criticism for not meeting the speed requirements set by BEAD and being more expensive than traditional internet providers. Concerns have also been raised about the company’s ability to handle future demands and applications.
The future of the BEAD program remains uncertain as discussions continue on how best to allocate funds for broadband expansion. Lutnick diperkirakan akan mengumumkan aturan yang mengubah program any day now, yang membantu menjelaskan sebagian dari urgensi dalam email Feinman.
“Hubungi delegasi kongres anda dan hubungi administrasi Trump dan beritahu mereka untuk menghapus persyaratan yang tidak perlu, tetapi jangan mengurangi fleksibilitas negara untuk mendapatkan koneksi terbaik untuk rakyat mereka,” Feinman menulis kepada rekan-rekannya.
Jika Anda ingin menghubungi wakil terpilih Anda tentang perubahan program BEAD, Anda dapat mengunduh aplikasi 5 Panggilan di App Store atau Google Play store. Aplikasi tersebut menyelidiki dan menulis naskah untuk berbagai isu, mengidentifikasi pembuat keputusan yang relevan, dan mengumpulkan nomor telepon kantor mereka.