John Smyth
2024-09-19 18:10:31 UTC
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PermalinkInitiative: Not One Person, Home, or Business Connected in 3 Years!'
<https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/09/fcc-commissioner-slams-kamala-harriss-42-billion-broadband/>
'Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr slams Kamala Harriss
$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,
didnt hold back, accusing the regime of prioritizing political agendas
over practical solutions for millions of Americans still lacking access
to high-speed internet.
Its 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 worseno infrastructure builds will even start until sometime
next year at the earliest, and in many cases, not until 2026. This makes
Vice President Harriss $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 administrations broader
failure to support rural America, citing the revocation of Starlinks
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 Harriss
leadership on the issue, with Carr calling for a complete overhaul of
the broadband initiative.
Absent major reforms, Vice President Harriss $42 billion program is
wired to fail. Its time to correct course, get rid of all the
extraneous political goals, and focus on quickly connecting Americans,
Carr concluded.