Feinman has served as the program’s director for three years, during which time it met several significant milestones, including approval of all states’ and territories’digital equity plans, and of their initial proposals, enabling states to move from planning to implementation. However, since the inauguration of a new presidential administration in January, the program has met barriers.
In November, Feinman touted the program’s substantial progress in meeting milestones outlined in the program’s 10-year timeline, written into law by Congress — arguing that he expected the program would continue to be a priority under a new administration and that he was “not planning to leave.” His final day with the agency was Friday and his next career move is yet to be determined. He said he is currently open to both public- and private-sector opportunities.
Feinman’s departure closely follows news that the program is being reviewed by the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Department Secretary Howard Lutnik said in a statement that it is eliminating “pointless requirements” in an effort to “get rid of the delays and the waste.” In an email Sunday announcing his departure, Feinman said the review process will likely create delays in rolling out broadband.
WHAT DOES THE REVIEW MEAN FOR STATES?
Several states — Nevada, Louisiana and Delaware — have already had their final proposals approved, which should allow them to move into the implementation phase and break ground on projects. The review process may impact these plans.
The bids are expected to hold in the short term, but companies may take their business elsewhere if the program remains in “limbo” for too long. The length of this federal review process remains unknown. As Feinman put it, for the program to advance, the administration needs to make a decision on whether it will allow states to move forward. That decision could be made as soon as today, he said.
States that have not yet had their final proposals approved are also in a state of uncertainty. Feinman suggests that BEAD program requirements which are considered to be extraneous be removed, while otherwise allowing for the program to stay on track and on budget.
However, if program rule changes dictate the way projects are selected, that change may require states to essentially start the approval process over and resubmit plans to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) a second time. As of now, Feinman affirmed, no state’s funding through BEAD is entirely safe and insulated from the impact of such program changes.
While some government officials have criticized BEAD for moving slowly in initial planning phases, Feinman underlined that in the program’s current phase, many states expected to be moving forward in the coming months with submitting their final proposals for public comment and then to NTIA: “And the only thing that these rule changes do is slow that down.”
As for what state officials and other stakeholders can do to mitigate program delays, Feinman urged them to contact members of Congress, the Department of Commerce and the Trump administration through any channels available to them to advocate for the removal of extraneous requirements while allowing for state-level flexibility.
Part of what makes BEAD unique is it being state-led, allowing for states to meet differing constituents’ connectivity needs. And as Feinman previously emphasized to Government Technology, digital inequities are “not a red state problem or a blue state problem,” but rather an American one.
In an email statement, Feinman noted that the program review will likely lead to more people getting connected with Starlink technology and fewer with fiber technology. Starlink, he clarified in an interview, is a good technology solution in areas in which a fiber connection isn’t possible. However, because the BEAD program is a generational investment, the scale of which is unlikely to happen again in the near future, Feinman said it is important to build connections that will remain operable for decades, as can be done through fiber and fiber service towers.
“The reason I chose to make such a public statement was not to take shots at the current administration, but rather to hope to create a broad outcry that would lead them to making the right call here and getting the job done,” Feinman said, underlining the potential to impact millions of Americans with the BEAD program.
