Trump nominee pledges to ‘finish the job’ on BEAD
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By
Chris Teale
Arielle Roth told the Senate Commerce Committee she would prioritize getting Americans connected if confirmed to lead the NTIA and not favor one technology over another.
President Donald Trump’s nominee to run the agency responsible for a major federal broadband expansion program pledged to “finish the job” and get Americans connected quickly during her confirmation hearing Thursday.
Arielle Roth, a former telecom policy director for the Senate Commerce Committee, told members of that committee that if confirmed as the new administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration she would work “expeditiously” to get people online through the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program.
“One of the most pressing tasks ahead of us is ensuring that we finish the job of expanding broadband access to unserved communities,” Roth said in her opening statement. “Thanks to Congress’s historic, bipartisan investments in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, NTIA has a responsibility to ensure that these funds are spent efficiently, expeditiously, and consistent with the law as written by Congress. I look forward to working with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to ensure that the BEAD program is a success and lives up to its bipartisan legacy.”
Roth has criticized BEAD previously, including some of its provisions around climate change, hiring and a requirement that states include a low-cost internet option. At an event hosted in Washington, D.C. last year by the conservative Federalist Society, Roth said NTIA had been “preoccupied with attaching all kinds of extra legal requirements on BEAD and, to be honest, a woke social agenda, loading up all kinds of burdens that deter participation in the program and drive up costs.”
There was none of that rhetoric in the Thursday hearing. Under questioning from multiple senators, Roth said her “primary objective would be to get broadband built out to every American as expeditiously as possible.”
But her statements comes amid an uncertain time for BEAD. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced a “rigorous review” of the program earlier this month, while various state leaders called for BEAD to be left alone and several House Republicans introduced a bill to loosen certain requirements.
Meanwhile, some states appear to be twisting in the wind waiting to move forward. Louisiana announced in late January it had secured federal approval to spend $1.35 billion in BEAD money, then was quickly followed by Delaware and Nevada, who received approval to spend $107 million and $416 million, respectively.
At the time of approval, Veneeth Iyengar, executive director of Louisiana’s Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity, known as ConnectLA, said based on conversations with internet service providers in the state, “we fully expect to see shovels in the ground in the next 100 days.”
Spokespeople for Louisiana and Nevada did not respond to requests for comment. Connor Perry, the BEAD non-deployment funds manager at the Delaware Department of Technology and Information, said in an email the state is “awaiting specific guidance from the Department of Commerce.”
“The Delaware Broadband Office supports policymakers seeking to streamline the BEAD planning process but is mindful of the potential for unintended delays,” a department spokesperson said in a follow-up email. “We are excited for a productive 2025 bringing Delawareans the reliable, high-speed fiber connections for which they’ve been waiting.”
In her testimony, Roth acknowledged the “frustration” that there hasn’t been more significant progress. “I want to solve that and get broadband to everyone in America,” she added.
Several senators questioned Roth over whether she would prefer to use satellite internet to help close the digital divide, which some are concerned would benefit special government advisor Elon Musk and Starlink, the billionaire’s satellite internet company. The NTIA had previously said it would prefer using fiber under the Biden administration but then recently backed off that guidance.
“I strongly urge you to oppose this giveaway to Elon Musk…and that we not adopt a more costly approach,” said U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who chairs the committee, argued those who say tweaks to BEAD are a “dark and sinister plot to benefit Elon Musk” were wrong. And Roth reaffirmed that her biggest priority is getting people online as part of an “all of the above” strategy that does not favor one technology over another.
“If I’m confirmed, my mission will be to deliver broadband to the American people, not to serve any individual or company,” Roth said to multiple senators.
Cruz also criticized the BEAD program for being “saddled” with what he called “extraneous requirements” that he said prevented progress under former President Joe Biden, who signed BEAD into law in 2021 as part of the infrastructure law.
“It appears the Biden mission was to avoid connecting even a single household,” Cruz said. “To which I say, mission accomplished.”
Roth said she would work to remove any requirements that prevent BEAD from being successful but do so as permitted by statute, noting “I will always abide by the law.”
Roth received positive reviews from senators on both sides of the aisle. U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, an Ohio Republican, said she is “supremely qualified for the job.”