FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr (R)
Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr slams Kamala Harris’s $42 billion broadband initiative, calling it a colossal failure in a scathing testimony before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Thursday.
Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, didn’t hold back, accusing the regime of prioritizing political agendas over practical solutions for millions of Americans still lacking access to high-speed internet.
“It’s been 1,039 days since Vice President Harris agreed to spearhead this massive program, yet not a single person has been connected to the internet. Not one home. Not one business. Not even a shovel has hit the ground,” Carr declared in his opening statement.
“It gets worse—no infrastructure builds will even start until sometime next year at the earliest, and in many cases, not until 2026. This makes Vice President Harris’s $42 billion initiative the slowest-moving federal broadband deployment program in recent history.”
The program, known as BEED (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment), was designed to extend internet access to millions of Americans in rural and underserved communities.
But according to Carr, the initiative has been bogged down by bureaucratic mismanagement and a focus on advancing a “wish list of progressive policy goals” rather than delivering on its core mission.
“The $42 billion program led by Vice President Harris is being used to push a climate change agenda, DEI requirements, price controls, preferences for government-run networks, and rules that will lead to wasteful overbuilding. All of this will leave rural communities behind,” he said.
The FCC commissioner pointed to the Biden administration’s broader failure to support rural America, citing the revocation of Starlink’s commitment to provide internet to over 640,000 homes and businesses.
“Frankly, it would not be the only time the Biden-Harris administration has left rural America behind. In 2020, the SEC secured a commitment from Starlink to provide Internet to 640,000 homes and businesses for about $1,300 per location in federal support.”
“But the government revoked that award last year after President Biden gave agencies the green light to go after Musk. The administration is now spending dollars on the penny to connect locations through its own initiatives. Senator Cruz released a report identifying entire projects where the administration is now spending over $100,000 per location for Internet.”
The hearing served as a stark indictment of Vice President Harris’s leadership on the issue, with Carr calling for a complete overhaul of the broadband initiative.
“Absent major reforms, Vice President Harris’s $42 billion program is wired to fail. It’s time to correct course, get rid of all the extraneous political goals, and focus on quickly connecting Americans,” Carr concluded.
WATCH:
JUST IN: FCC Commissioner @BrendanCarrFCC slams Vice President Kamala Harris’s $42 billion broadband initiative, saying it hasn’t connected a single person to the internet in 3 years.
“In 2021, VP Harris agreed to lead a $42 billion effort to expand internet access to… pic.twitter.com/YgBoafNW0Y
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) September 19, 2024
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