Senators Looking for Briefing from NTIA on SpaceX Rider
The company had sought exemptions from certain BEAD rules.
The company had sought exemptions from certain BEAD rules.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2026 – Senators are looking to meet with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to discuss SpaceX’s efforts to exempt itself from certain provisions of the agency’s $42.45 billion broadband grant program.
Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., said at a Tuesday markup that she was willing to withdraw her proposed amendment to a satellite licensing bill if as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, would “commit to having NTIA engage with members of this committee, either a briefing or a meeting, on the Starlink rider and how they plan to uphold the integrity of the BEAD program.”
Cruz responded, “And we’re happy to arrange that discussion.”
A Nebraska ISP is claiming the first subscriber on BEAD infrastructure.
The two-term senator has championed rural broadband access.
The group finds an exponential growing need for spectrum to support emergent space operations.
Utilities are struggling to connect large data centers quickly enough to maintain reliability, panelists said.