Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., on Thursday voiced her support of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, while criticizing recent changes to the program that she said have minimized Nebraska’s ability to deploy fiber-based broadband.
Speaking at USTelecom’s 2025 Broadband Investment Forum on Oct. 23, Fischer said the Trump administration’s changes to the BEAD program “have cut away the Biden administration’s red tape.”
“However, to be frank, I am from Nebraska. The recent program changes have also minimized Nebraska’s ability to stick to its original state buildout plan, which would have maximized service to underserved locations, but especially to unserved locations, and that was well within the budget allocated by Congress,” Fischer said.
The $42.45 billion BEAD program was created as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program provides broadband access grants to underserved or unserved communities.
The broadband funding aims to close the digital divide by expanding high-speed internet access through funding planning, infrastructure deployment, and adoption programs across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
However, in March, the Trump administration announced it would conduct a review of the BEAD program. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick claimed the program has “not connected a single person to the internet and is in dire need of a readjustment.”
The Commerce Department unveiled its changes to the program in June, touting a new “tech-neutral” approach and tossing its previous fiber-centric efforts to the curb.
“States have always been able to exercise discretion when it comes to those bid allocations, just so long as it applies to the law, and that is what Congress intended,” Fischer said. “No state should have to rely on one type of network technology that does not suit a program meant to build future-ready communications infrastructure.”
The senator called for a more balanced approach to broadband deployment, emphasizing the importance of using multiple technologies, such as fiber, fixed wireless, and satellite.
“Deploying a range of broadband network technologies will lead to added resilience and innovation,” Fischer said. “Within this range, fiber-based broadband deployment remains absolutely critical to our rural development.”
“I’m going to continue to press for this approach to close the digital divide and to keep it closed,” she added. “I never want to send a message to rural America that Washington D.C. bureaucrats think that they simply are not worth serving with the high-quality, reliable broadband service.”
Similarly, Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., who also spoke at the event, likened broadband to the “information highway” that all Americans need to travel.
“Everyone needs to get on that highway,” Rosen said, adding, “They want to be on the highway, and they want to go the same speed as the rest of the traffic. So, don’t put them on the highway with a car that has a flat tire.”
She explained that the analogy reflects the importance of broadband speed and reliability, saying, “This is why getting broadband out to everyone in every community matters … it’s critical infrastructure.”