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Senator Ernst Proposes Halving $42B Broadband Expansion Fund

11/12/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) drafted legislation to cut the $42 billion BEAD program in half.
The bill would redirect leftover funds, projected to exceed $21 billion, to the U.S. Treasury for deficit reduction instead of broadband expansion.
The draft bill was leaked by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society and references the 2021 BEAD law, but has not yet been filed.

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Story summary

Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) drafted legislation to cut the $42 billion BEAD program in half.
The bill would redirect leftover funds, projected to exceed $21 billion, to the U.S. Treasury for deficit reduction instead of broadband expansion.
The draft bill was leaked by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society and references the 2021 BEAD law, but has not yet been filed.