Fischer Presses Commerce Secretary on Plans to Deploy Remaining Broadband Funds to Nebraska

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pressed Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on his plans to deploy the remaining $340 million in BEAD funds allocated to Nebraska as Congress intended in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

During the hearing, Fischer urged the Commerce Department to move expeditiously to approve guidance for how states can invest these funds and to consider precision agriculture as an eligible use for these dollars. Fischer also highlighted her Broadband Funding Map, created by the IIJA, and pressed Lutnick on whether the map is being utilized to maximize the responsible use of federal dollars.

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Fischer's questioning:

Fischer: Nebraska saw one of the most dramatic reductions in BEAD allocation - from $405 million in its NTIA-approved final proposal to only $45 million spent after administrative costs, leaving around $340 million remaining. Nebraskans need guidance on how they may use those dollars to further the goals of the BEAD program in my state. More than a month after NTIA delayed releasing guidance for how states may use these dollars, that guidance has still not been released. So, Mr. Secretary, what steps has the Department of Commerce and NTIA taken to effectuate the goals of the BEAD program as it relates to the use of those non-deployment funds?

Lutnick: Nice to see you, Senator. We set out to conduct a listening tour - we had over 1,000 people participate and received over 280 comments. We are focused on those comments to ensure we cover all broadband access requirements so that each state has addressed coverage for everyone. We will have a new program coming out, and as I've testified here before, over the next two months we will release our plan. I'm happy to sit down and talk with you about how best to serve your state.

Fischer: That would be great. I worked very hard on [the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act] to ensure we could get funding to deploy broadband across my state, so it's disappointing to see funding that hasn't been deployed yet. I've worked closely with NTIA and want to make sure that the guidance they're developing is driven by the needs of the states and aligns with the law that authorized the program.

Connectivity supporting precision agriculture operations is a prime example of a potential eligible use for those non-deployment dollars - one that falls squarely within the bounds of the law, which emphasizes connectivity that enables economic development and modern digital applications. Last December, I led my colleagues in the Nebraska delegation in sending a letter to Assistant Secretary Roth urging the administration to allow states to retain unspent BEAD money and encouraging NTIA to clarify that precision agriculture connectivity constitutes an eligible use of remaining BEAD funds. Would you agree, sir, that connectivity enabling precision agriculture is consistent with the goals of the BEAD program?

Lutnick: That's an important topic, and we are researching and looking at it as you've suggested. I think it's a very interesting area and very much part of our ongoing conversation. I hope to continue discussing it with you - I know NTIA has received a high volume of feedback on that.

Fischer: As NTIA continues to implement the BEAD program, one of my foremost priorities is to ensure that every dollar spent on broadband deployment is maximized. To that end, I secured a provision in the law authorizing the BEAD program that requires the FCC to create and continually refresh a mapping tool - the Broadband Funding Map - to maximize responsible use of federal dollars. I also authored report language in appropriations bills directing them to do so. How are the Department of Commerce and NTIA working together with the FCC to ensure that broadband deployment efforts, particularly under BEAD, are harmonized across all federal agencies?

Lutnick: Your leadership on that topic was very important, and we are working hard to integrate our information and data with those maps so they can be as accurate and useful as possible.

Fischer: Have you had a positive experience reaching out to the other federal agencies and ensuring harmonization?

Lutnick: I think so. What has come to my attention has been positive - I haven't heard anything to the contrary so far. I'm happy to follow up and have a more detailed conversation about it.

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