Summary
Senate Democrats accused the Trump administration of stalling $42 billion in broadband grants and redirecting funds toward Elon Musk’s Starlink by overturning Biden-era rules favoring fiber networks.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s “tech-neutral” policy prioritizes cost over quality, potentially sidelining more reliable fiber infrastructure.
A May 30 letter warned delays could push projects back two years.
Trump also scrapped a separate $2.75 billion Digital Equity program, calling it “racist and illegal.” Critics say the moves undermine broadband expansion in rural and underserved communities.
If your RV could have fiber, Starlink would be worse in every way… You stripped out the context (fiber availability).
Starlink is amazing when fiber isn’t possible. When fiber is possible, it’s cheaper in the long term and it’s in fact better in every way (latency, reliability, performance, throughout, etc).