Written By: Keely Quinlan

As promised, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has released new guidance for the nationwide broadband overhaul, rescinding final approvals in several states.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration on Friday released its much anticipated guidance for states on the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment, or BEAD, program.

The new BEAD guidance, which comes three months after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced his intentions to “revamp” the $42.45 billion program, features a removal of what Lutnick called “burdensome regulations” imposed by the Biden administration on states and bidding internet service providers. These now-axed stipulations include the program’s labor and employment requirements and its climate reporting requirements. And, as Lutnick promised, the new guidance also includes a move toward a “tech-neutral approach,” dropping the Biden administration’s “fiber first” strategy.

The removal of “fiber first” opens more pathways for states to spend BEAD funds on technologies like low-Earth orbit satellites and fixed wireless. This is a move that some states, like Louisiana, were pushing for.

“Today we proudly announce a new direction for the BEAD program that will deliver high-speed internet access efficiently on a technology-neutral basis, and at the right price,” Lutnick said in a statement shared Friday. “President Trump promised to put an end to wasteful spending, and thanks to his leadership, the American people will get the benefit of the bargain, with connectivity delivered around the country at a fraction of the cost of the original program.”