Mon Sep 23 15:12:38 UTC 2024: ## Biden’s Broadband Boondoggle: Millions Spent, Zero Connected

**WASHINGTON D.C.** – The Biden administration’s ambitious plan to expand broadband internet access to rural America is facing mounting criticism, with Republicans accusing Vice President Kamala Harris, the program’s point person, of “failed” leadership.

The Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, funded by $42.45 billion in taxpayer dollars, has yet to connect a single person to the internet despite being launched in 2021. Critics point to the administration’s insistence on incorporating climate change and labor union requirements as a major roadblock.

“It appears that your performance as ‘broadband czar’ has mirrored your performance as ‘border czar,’ marked by poor management and a lack of effectiveness,” wrote Senate Minority Whip John Thune and Senate Commerce ranking member Ted Cruz in a letter to Harris.

Brendan Carr, a commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission, echoed these concerns, calling the program “wired to fail” and highlighting the fact that after nearly three years, not a single person has benefitted from the plan.

Even telecom companies, the very entities intended to benefit from the program, have expressed alarm. 32 companies have written to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo warning that the BEAD program’s implementation risks jeopardizing its success.

The Biden administration maintains that the program is on track and blames any delays on external factors. However, critics argue that the program’s failure is a direct result of the administration’s priorities and mismanagement.

This latest debacle adds to the growing list of perceived failures attributed to Harris, particularly her record on immigration as “border czar.”

Read More