Sen. Rosen Delivers Keynote Address at Speeding BEAD Summit
‘This is not a Democrat or Republican issue’
WASHINGTON, June 12, 2025 – Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., delivered a keynote address Thursday to a large gathering of attendees at Broadband Breakfast’s Speeding BEAD Summit.
“I don’t have to tell any of you just how important it is that we continue to support broadband buildout across our nation’s rural communities and effective implementation of the bipartisan BEAD [Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment] program,” she said.
Rosen, who spoke via a pre-recorded video, urged attendees to continue fighting for the BEAD program.
Keynote by Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada
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“We must stand up and make sure that every American has access to high-speed internet,” she said. “This program has the potential to be transformational, helping us finally close the digital divide and make sure all of our communities can succeed.”
She also criticized the Trump administration’s recent changes to the program.
“As you all know, this funding has been frozen by the Department of Commerce and it has refused to immediately release the funds, leaving states like Nevada in limbo,” she said. “While the administration claims to be reviewing BEAD to make it more cost effective and quicker, Nevada’s BEAD awards have the lowest average cost per location of any other federal broadband project.”
She concluded by calling for state flexibility to implement the program.
“States must be given the flexibility to get to 100 percent connectivity without the Commerce Department looming over their shoulder,” she said. “There are many ways to speed up broadband deployment, but requiring states to redo literally years of work is not it.”
Rosen has been critical of the Trump administration’s recent changes to the BEAD program, and has vowed to hold up Commerce Department nominees that oversee broadband in response.
