Musk's Starlink stands to benefit from changes to a broadband equity program

The US Department of Commerce is changing the requirements for the Biden administration's Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. Another day, another move from the Trump administration that will benefit Elon Musk — shocking. The US Department of Commerce has announced an overhaul of 2021's Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program and its $42.5 billion that will funnel work to Musk's Starlink. The BEAD program was originally designed to give states funding for fiber-optic cable installation, increase Wi-Fi networks and free broadband internet access for some individuals. Fiber-optic broadband provides the fastest internet speeds, but the new mandate will get rid of BEAD's preference for it. "The Department is ripping out the Biden Administration’s pointless requirements," said US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick in a statement. "It is revamping the BEAD program to take a tech-neutral approach that is rigorously driven by outcomes, so states can pr ... Read full article.