Calls Grow to Eliminate USDA Broadband Program, Watchdog Group Says
Citizens Against Government Waste targets Rural Utilities Service as duplicative.
WASHINGTON, April 6, 2026 – A government watchdog group is calling on Congress to eliminate the Agriculture Department’s Rural Utilities Service, arguing that its broadband programs are redundant given billions already allocated through other federal initiatives.
Citizens Against Government Waste said existing USDA broadband efforts duplicate funding provided through the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, the federal government’s primary initiative to expand high-speed internet access.
The group pointed to a 2023 Government Accountability Office report that identified more than 133 broadband-related programs across 15 federal agencies, raising concerns about overlap. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has said total federal broadband funding could reach as much as $800 billion.
Former Republican FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly, in remarks cited in a March 2026 article, also argued that USDA broadband programs should be halted as BEAD funding moves forward.
“In light of progress in deploying BEAD funding, existing USDA-related programs should be halted,” O’Rielly said, citing the ReConnect Program, which distributed about $51 million in fiscal year 2026.
The Rural Utilities Service also administers other broadband and connectivity programs that together account for tens of millions of dollars in annual spending.
Supporters of eliminating the programs say doing so could improve efficiency and reduce duplication, while others warn that cutting funding could limit support for rural communities still lacking reliable internet access.
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