Lutnick Receptive to GOP Critiques of BEAD, Declines to Commit to Approved Spending

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2025 – Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Commerce Department, said he was open to Republican criticisms of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, and side-stepped questions about honoring existing approvals of state spending plans.

Three states received approval to start spending their slice of the $42.5 billion program in the final days of the Biden administration: Louisiana, Nevada, and Delaware.

Each state and territory is managing its own allocation and ultimately selecting the ISPs that will be participating within its borders, with Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration managing the program and setting guidelines.

Lutnick declined to commit to not making Nevada go through its project selection process again, responding to a question from Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada. Lutnick said that he wanted to review the state’s spending plan first.

“If it has been rigorously done and deeply efficient, and it’s the most efficient use to get broadband to your constituents, then it’s easy for me to commit to it,” he said. “But if there’s been errors or mistakes, you wouldn’t mind if we made it better. You wouldn't mind.”

Rosen and other Democratic lawmakers were not pleased.