Senior broadband official departs Commerce Department, issuing stern warning about Musk
Evan Feinman cautioned that "Stranding all or part of rural America with worse internet so that we can make the world's richest man even richer is yet another in a long line of betrayals by Washington."
TroibNews 
A high-ranking official from the Commerce Department issued a pointed email to former colleagues on his last day, alerting them that the Trump administration is likely to improperly benefit Elon Musk's satellite internet company with funds intended for rural broadband.
Evan Feinman, who has been at the helm of the $42.5 billion broadband program for the past three years, criticized the technology provided by Musk's Starlink as inferior.
“Stranding all or part of rural America with worse internet so that we can make the world's richest man even richer is yet another in a long line of betrayals by Washington,” Feinman stated.
Context: Feinman’s detailed email, exceeding 1,100 words and shared with PMG, reflects significant unease about the changes set to reshape the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program (BEAD). Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has recently promised a comprehensive review of BEAD, intending to eliminate what he views as unnecessary requirements and to remove preferences for specific broadband technologies like fiber.
Should the revised guidelines be implemented, Musk and Starlink would likely secure a larger share of subsidies.
Musk and his company did not provide comments when requested.
Established within the 2021 infrastructure law, the BEAD program has been a source of partisan discord, especially as Republicans criticized the Biden administration for its delayed progress. As of now, no internet expansion projects have commenced using BEAD funds, though some states were nearing readiness earlier this year.
Feinman’s concerns: In his message, Feinman indicated that Friday marked his last day leading BEAD and expressed disappointment at being unable to see the initiative through.
Commerce Department representatives did not respond promptly to inquiries regarding Feinman’s email or the factors contributing to his departure.
Feinman's email cautions that the Trump administration could undermine BEAD, urging people to advocate for maintaining its most beneficial aspects. He urged that any changes should “NOT [be made] to benefit technology that delivers slower speeds at higher costs to the household paying the bill,” emphasizing that this is not what rural America, congressional Republicans or Democrats, the states, or the telecom industry desire.
“Reach out to your congressional delegation and reach out to the Trump Administration and tell them to strip out the needless requirements, but not to strip away from states the flexibility to get the best connections for their people,” he advised.
Feinman is not concerned about the Trump administration potentially abolishing requirements related to climate resiliency, labor, and middle-class affordability, contending that these issues “were inserted by the prior administration for messaging/political purposes, and were never central to the mission of the program.”
Encouraging progress: Feinman expressed concern that the Trump administration could impede state advancement through alterations to BEAD. He highlighted that three states—Louisiana, Delaware, and Nevada—are currently in “limbo” as they await final approvals from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Louisiana had previously expected to initiate internet projects within the first 100 days of 2025. Feinman argued that these states should be permitted to move forward, alongside other states with final proposals under the previous rules, such as West Virginia.
“Shovels could already be in the ground in three states, and they could be in the ground in half the country by the summer without the proposed changes to project selection,” Feinman wrote.
What lies ahead: Lutnick has not yet provided specific guidance regarding modifications to BEAD or outlined a timeline for such updates. Additionally, the Senate still needs to confirm Arielle Roth, Trump’s nominee to head the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the agency overseeing the BEAD program. She is awaiting a Senate Commerce confirmation hearing.
Rohan Mehta contributed to this article for TROIB News
Evan Feinman, who has been at the helm of the $42.5 billion broadband program for the past three years, criticized the technology provided by Musk's Starlink as inferior.
“Stranding all or part of rural America with worse internet so that we can make the world's richest man even richer is yet another in a long line of betrayals by Washington,” Feinman stated.
Context: Feinman’s detailed email, exceeding 1,100 words and shared with PMG, reflects significant unease about the changes set to reshape the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program (BEAD). Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has recently promised a comprehensive review of BEAD, intending to eliminate what he views as unnecessary requirements and to remove preferences for specific broadband technologies like fiber.
Should the revised guidelines be implemented, Musk and Starlink would likely secure a larger share of subsidies.
Musk and his company did not provide comments when requested.
Established within the 2021 infrastructure law, the BEAD program has been a source of partisan discord, especially as Republicans criticized the Biden administration for its delayed progress. As of now, no internet expansion projects have commenced using BEAD funds, though some states were nearing readiness earlier this year.
Feinman’s concerns: In his message, Feinman indicated that Friday marked his last day leading BEAD and expressed disappointment at being unable to see the initiative through.
Commerce Department representatives did not respond promptly to inquiries regarding Feinman’s email or the factors contributing to his departure.
Feinman's email cautions that the Trump administration could undermine BEAD, urging people to advocate for maintaining its most beneficial aspects. He urged that any changes should “NOT [be made] to benefit technology that delivers slower speeds at higher costs to the household paying the bill,” emphasizing that this is not what rural America, congressional Republicans or Democrats, the states, or the telecom industry desire.
“Reach out to your congressional delegation and reach out to the Trump Administration and tell them to strip out the needless requirements, but not to strip away from states the flexibility to get the best connections for their people,” he advised.
Feinman is not concerned about the Trump administration potentially abolishing requirements related to climate resiliency, labor, and middle-class affordability, contending that these issues “were inserted by the prior administration for messaging/political purposes, and were never central to the mission of the program.”
Encouraging progress: Feinman expressed concern that the Trump administration could impede state advancement through alterations to BEAD. He highlighted that three states—Louisiana, Delaware, and Nevada—are currently in “limbo” as they await final approvals from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Louisiana had previously expected to initiate internet projects within the first 100 days of 2025. Feinman argued that these states should be permitted to move forward, alongside other states with final proposals under the previous rules, such as West Virginia.
“Shovels could already be in the ground in three states, and they could be in the ground in half the country by the summer without the proposed changes to project selection,” Feinman wrote.
What lies ahead: Lutnick has not yet provided specific guidance regarding modifications to BEAD or outlined a timeline for such updates. Additionally, the Senate still needs to confirm Arielle Roth, Trump’s nominee to head the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the agency overseeing the BEAD program. She is awaiting a Senate Commerce confirmation hearing.
Rohan Mehta contributed to this article for TROIB News
