NTIA Assistant Secretary Outlines NTIA Oversight Of BEAD Program – No USF For BEAD Awardees, No State Rate Regulation, BEAD Will Be Last Federal Broadband Program
October 28, 2025 – The head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Arielle Roth, gave a speech at The Hudson Institute titled Making BEAD Work: How NTIA Is Working to Minimize Defaults and Deliver Universal Broadband. The speech outlined how NTIA will continue its oversight role of the BEAD program after NTIA approves states’ final plans and individual BEAD awards. Specifically, NTIA will focus on preventing BEAD sub-awardees from defaulting on their grant-funded projects. Also, NTIA will ensure that states are exercising proper oversight by requiring states to include certain contractual provisions in their BEAD grant contracts with sub-awardees. Some of the key points in Assistant Secretary Roth’s speech, within the quotation marks, are included below:
Fixed Wireless & LEO Satellite Technology – “Take for example, unlicensed fixed wireless. Once viewed as an unreliable service, unlicensed fixed wireless is now using breakthrough technology that can deliver reliable, high-speed broadband even in non-line of sight environments. Or, the evolution of LEO satellite technology, that has gone from achieving speeds of 100/20 Mbps to now demonstrating the capability of delivering gigabit speeds. These advancements would not have been possible if the market wasn’t challenged to find alternative solutions.”
The BEAD Program Should Be The Last Federal Broadband Funding Program – “Being good stewards of taxpayer money means holding awardees accountable and making sure those who take taxpayer dollars will deliver on their promises. That is what will set BEAD apart and ensure that this really is the last broadband funding program.”
NTIA Will Require States To exempt BEAD Sub-Awardees From Rate Regulation & Net Neutrality Requirements – “Consistent with the law, which explicitly prohibits regulating the rates charged for broadband service, NTIA is making clear that states cannot impose rate regulation on the BEAD program. To protect the BEAD investment, we are clarifying that BEAD providers must be protected throughout their service area in a state, while the provider is still within its BEAD period of performance. Specifically, any state receiving BEAD funds must exempt BEAD providers throughout their state footprint, from broadband-specific economic regulations, such as price regulation and net neutrality.”
The BEAD Program Should Be The Last Major Federal Broadband Investment – “BEAD projects are inherently risky. These are the hardest-to-serve areas in the country—the ones the private sector didn’t reach even with earlier federal programs. But BEAD is likely to be the last major federal broadband investment—as it should be—and providers that are banking on future subsidies to stay afloat, are setting themselves, and their communities, up to fail.”
No USF Support For BEAD-Funded Projects – “To protect BEAD from such risks, NTIA will require states to have providers certify in writing that they will not require or take additional federal subsidies—including operational subsidies—to complete or operate their BEAD projects. Those unwilling to make that commitment will not get an award. Their proposed service areas will instead go to entities that can and will deliver.”
