U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis R-WY, alongside Senators Ted Cruz R-TX and Marsha Blackburn R-TN, has voiced concerns over the Biden-Harris administration’s approach to broadband connectivity data, specifically accusing it of omitting critical information on households reliant on wireless and satellite technologies.
In a joint letter addressed to the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration NTIA, the senators argued that the administration’s exclusion of these data skews broadband coverage metrics, particularly impacting rural and remote areas like Wyoming.
Senator Lummis criticized the administration for prioritizing “politics over sound broadband policy,” asserting that this approach undermines the goals of the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment BEAD program.
This federal initiative was established to expand high-speed internet access across the nation, yet, according to Lummis, the current policies are making it more challenging to close the digital divide.
Lummis emphasized that many rural households in Wyoming rely on wireless and satellite technology, and without accurate data inclusion, efforts to connect these communities may fall short.