Western South Dakota News

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for her handling of a $42 billion broadband expansion initiative intended to connect rural Americans to the internet. According to Thune, the administration prioritizes its political agenda over addressing the needs of American citizens.

Thune, who has been involved in expanding broadband access as a senator from a rural state and former chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, expressed concerns about the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) ability to manage such a significant amount of money. His doubts have reportedly been confirmed by what he describes as inefficiency and mismanagement within the Biden-Harris administration.

In his remarks, Thune stated: “The Biden-Harris administration’s signature broadband initiative – and Vice President Harris’s tenure as broadband czar – has been nothing short of a disaster.” He emphasized that despite nearly three years since the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program was established at NTIA, it has not connected any households to the internet.

Thune further highlighted various issues with the BEAD program: "Instead of focusing on delivering broadband services to unserved areas, the Biden-Harris administration loaded down the BEAD program with a liberal wish list of requirements that were never envisioned by Congress and have obstructed broadband deployment."

He cited several problematic mandates including climate change requirements, prioritizing government-owned networks over private investment, biased technology mandates, union labor preferences, attempts at price controls contrary to law, and DEI hiring priorities.

According to Thune: “One state official who recently testified before the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House had this to say about the program’s implementation... ‘States face a common issue – navigating the complex BEAD process. NTIA’s functional requests are akin to building a plane while flying it without having necessary instructions.’”

Another state official described BEAD as "the most burdensome federal program" she had ever encountered. Thune noted that no construction projects have started under BEAD and current expectations for commencement range from next year to 2026.

Thune also called for increased oversight from congressional committees responsible for these programs: “It’s been more than 1,500 days since the last Federal Communications Commission oversight hearing at the Commerce Committee.”

He concluded his remarks by warning against broader implications if Harris were given more responsibility: “If Broadband Czar Harris becomes President Harris, I suspect that we will see more disastrous government programs on her watch.”