On February 18, NRECA sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick sharing NRECA’s priorities for closing the digital divide and boosting economic prosperity and quality of life in rural America. The letter focused on the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program urging the NTIA to, specifically, do the following: maintain the current technology preference for fiber; modify statutory provisions to provide additional flexibility for the low-cost service plan, NEPA & NHPA permitting and prevailing wage provisions; eliminate non-statutory requirements for a climate risk assessment and open access in the NOFO or implemented by states, and eliminate other burdens and obstacles slowing deployment.
