GOP Sen. Wicker Wants States to Keep BEAD Non-deployment Funds
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, also Republicans, also want the funding.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2025 – Another Republican Senator is saying he wants his state to hang on to all the money it was allocated under the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.
The Trump administration, which has pushed state broadband offices to drive down deployment spending, does not appear eager to see much of the savings spent. The Commerce Department in June rescinded approval for all “non-deployment” activities, including some already underway, and said more guidance would come later.
“Congress was clear: States can use this remaining grant money,” Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said in a Monday constituent email. “That policy rewards those who wisely stewarded their deployment funds. It could also help states maximize the impact of the 2021 law – if we direct the funds wisely.”
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