As Illinois moves forward with broadband expansion, FCC slams the program
(The Center Square) – Now that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has approved Illinois’ proposal to provide broadband statewide, the program is being slammed by a government agency.
The Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment, or BEAD program, is the largest single investment in broadband infrastructure in American history, costing taxpayers $42 billion.
Devon Braunstein, director of the Illinois Office of Broadband, said Illinois will be receiving just over $1 billion for the broadband rollout.
“So what the BEAD funds will do is offer the opportunity for internet service providers to build connections to every household and every location who do not have it so by the end of the program they will have at least one option they can subscribe to,” said Braunstein.
According to a 2019 American Community Survey, 1.4 million Illinois households do not subscribe to a high-speed internet service, and over 1.1 million households lack a desktop or laptop computer.
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr recently testified at a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing that it’s been over 1,000 days since the program was signed into law by the Biden Administration.
“After all of that time, not one person has been connected to the internet,” said Carr. “Not one home, not one business, not even one shovel full of dirt has been turned.”
Carr, who said the BEAD program is wired to fail, said the days without action are not without consequence.
“For one, each day or month that the BEAD program falls further behind is another day or month that Americans remain on the wrong side of the digital divide,” said Carr.
He added that the delay in program milestones will complicate how the state and federal bodies implement funding programs.
