Taxpayer dollars are swiftly disappearing
By NEVAEH KARRAKER— nakarraker@ucdavis.edu
In 2021, the Infrastructure and Jobs Act was passed. This included a $42.5 billion provision for the Broadhead Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program to provide high-speed internet access to rural areas nationwide. And yet, nearly four years later, not a single home in those locations has been connected to this program.
Instead, the money fueled a long, aggravating process where states followed three broad stages — first, prequalification, then, challenge process and finally, grant awards. As of now, all states have submitted their initial proposal, which has been approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. However, most states are still shockingly stuck in the challenge process stage.
This challenge process is a complex, messy step for stakeholders to identify what territory is considered “rural” and therefore requires funding. Further, even fewer states have begun to select service providers, and only three have submitted their final proposal for approval.
Only after approval of this final proposal can a single person access the internet. For a program into which a substantial amount of citizens’ taxes go, it’s concerning that no definite output has been produced.
Since BEAD’s main technique is installing underground cables, progress is minimal but gradual. Hence, the goal is to finish by 2030. While careful planning and thought has been interposed, taking nearly a decade for an asset that considerably improves countless lives seems excessive. Further, what this slow process insinuates for future chief enactments is a lack of urgency paired with expensive, unnecessary regulations.
Moreover, due to the change in presidency and thus redirected focus, this program could be significantly delayed or altered. For example, this could entail dropping “Equity” from BEAD and possibly employing the satellite internet company Starlink, operated by SpaceX, instead of continuing to dig underground.
Switching to Starlink reduces the time by years and the initial cost by billions through decreased labor requirements. However, it doesn’t bring new business to rural areas, the monthly subscription is greater than the original fiber-cables and the service is, to a certain degree, inferior. Additionally, this sudden disruption could force states to go through another equally long process, which essentially wastes the provided money as it unravels the little progress that has already been made.
In the end, the entire BEAD process disturbingly resembles a misappropriation and exploitation of funds. Companies are desperate to profit, and, without anyone monitoring how provisions are being spent, budgets for BEAD and others are likely exorbitant.
Unfortunately, the exact taxpayers these programs aim to help are the ones being harmed by these accountability issues. The consequence of delayed projects is not simply monetary concerns, but an impediment to the workforce, economy and education — the pillars of the nation.
Further, the conflicts of competing programs, politics and government regulations result in redundant friction rather than efficient advancement. What taxpayers and voters need now, more than ever, is a transparent, concise and coherent structure where projects eliminate inessential steps and exercise frugality.
In order for this to function properly, there is a certain role taxpayers and voters must also play. When new programs are introduced, thorough, unbiased research should be conducted to fully understand what exactly is being funded — and, more importantly, specifically how our taxes are being utilized.
Written by: Nevaeh Karraker—nakarraker@ucdavis.edu
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.
