Federal Communications Commission (FCC) head Brendan Carr has criticised Kamala Harris’ efforts in connecting Americans to the internet, stating that “zero” people have been connected despite $42.5 billion being allocated for it. In 2021, Vice President Harris was tasked with leading the administration’s plan to extend Internet to millions of Americans, but as of yet, no progress has been made in terms of connecting individuals.
This failure to make any headway is particularly significant given the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the infrastructure bill, which included a $42.5 billion fund specifically for expanding internet access. This money was allocated to the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program; however, Carr blames the Biden-Harris administration’s focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies as the reason behind the lack of progress in expanding broadband access.
Carr has stated that construction work on expanding broadband is now unlikely to begin until next year. He also highlighted that no construction projects will even start until 2025 at the earliest, making this effort led by Vice President Harris the slowest-moving federal broadband initiative in history. Despite these issues, some Democrats are still campaigning on expanding broadband access.
Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) wrote in early August that “Expanding reliable broadband is key to building Montana’s economy and keeping rural communities connected,” adding that the state’s latest proposal for this has been approved under his bipartisan infrastructure law, which he will continue working on to improve internet service across the state. However, Carr emphasizes that there is no way to spin or sugarcoat the lack of progress in connecting Americans to the internet, and it remains a critical issue for rural communities across the country.