NTIA

New BEAD Rules Subject to Congressional Review, GAO Finds

Congress should have received a report before the rules were issued, the watchdog said.

Jake Neenan

Dec 17, 2025 — 3 min read

Photo of Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., who asked for the GAO review, by J. Scott Applewhite/AP

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17, 2025 – The Commerce Department’s new rules for its $42.45 billion broadband grant program are subject to Congressional review, a government watchdog found.

The Congressional Review Act allows Congress to nullify agency rules if both chambers pass a resolution to that effect, and requires agencies to submit a copy of any new rule to Congress before it can take effect.

The Government Accountability Office determined in a Tuesday decision that the CRA applied to the restructuring of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.