Rep. Kelly Morrison Criticizes Reallocation of Broadband Funds to Starlink

Broadband Funding and Rural Access

• 💡 Small businesses rely on broadband internet for innovation, e-commerce, education, and healthcare.
• 🩺 As a physician, Rep. Morrison highlights how telehealth is crucial for patient care, especially in rural areas, but requires reliable broadband.
• ❓ Morrison questioned Ms. Jackson Ferman on improving the USF (Universal Service Fund) to ensure rural healthcare providers have necessary broadband capabilities for telehealth.

Changes to the BEAD Program

• ⚠️ A policy change in June by the Trump administration de-prioritized fiber optic cables in the BEAD program.
• 📡 This change allowed funding to be directed towards satellite broadband technology, specifically benefiting providers like Starlink.
• 📉 Ms. Jackson Ferman stated this loss of fiber preference created a landscape of "halves and have-nots," leading WK&T to lose opportunities to serve locations with fiber.

Starlink and Policy Concerns

• 🛰️ Starlink, owned by Elon Musk, became eligible for BEAD funds due to these policy shifts.
• 🔗 Rep. Morrison noted that these changes occurred shortly after Musk's tenure as a "special government employee."
• 🚫 Concerns were raised about linking BEAD funding to unrelated conditions, such as a 10-year moratorium on regulating artificial intelligence, which could threaten online safety and data privacy.