Broadband grants paused as critics allege favoritism toward Elon Musk’s Starlink
- The Texas Broadband Development Office has placed a temporary hold on disbursements of federal funds related to the BEAD program.
- The hold follows accusations of favoritism towards Starlink, prompting lawmakers to announce an audit.
- The office did not provide a reason for the disbursement pause and stated it would offer further guidance later.
- Concerns were raised about how over $3 billion in BEAD funding was allocated, particularly regarding upfront payments to low-Earth orbit satellite providers.
- Lawmakers have called for more transparency in the grant award process and an audit of the broadband office.
The Texas Broadband Development Office has temporarily halted all disbursements of billions of dollars in federal funds related to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. This decision comes in response to allegations of favoritism towards certain companies, particularly Elon Musk’s Starlink, which has led lawmakers to call for an audit of the office.
In an email to subgrantees, the broadband office indicated that the hold was effective immediately and would remain in place until further notice. The office did not provide a specific reason for this pause and has not responded to inquiries regarding the situation.
Concerns about the distribution of over $3 billion in BEAD funding were raised during a Senate committee hearing, where lawmakers questioned the upfront payments made to low-Earth orbit satellite providers. Changes to the funding rules for these providers were reportedly directed by the governor's office just days before the grants were awarded. Lawmakers are now seeking greater transparency in the grant award process.
The audit process is currently underway, but no completion date has been announced. The legislature plans to address the findings during its next session, which begins in January.
因批评者指控偏袒埃隆·马斯克的Starlink，宽带拨款暂停
德克萨斯州宽带发展办公室已暂时停止与宽带公平、接入和部署（BEAD）项目相关的数十亿美元联邦资金的拨款。此决定是针对对特定公司，尤其是埃隆·马斯克的Starlink的偏袒指控而做出的，立法者因此呼吁对该办公室进行审计。
在发给子拨款者的电子邮件中，宽带办公室表示，暂停自即日起生效，并将持续到另行通知。该办公室未提供暂停的具体原因，也未对有关情况的询问作出回应。
在一次参议院委员会听证会上，关于超过30亿美元的BEAD资金分配的问题引起了关注，立法者质疑对低地球轨道卫星提供商的预付款情况。这些提供商的资金规则的变化据称是由州长办公室在拨款授予前几天指示的。立法者现在寻求对拨款过程的更大透明度。
审计过程目前正在进行中，但尚未公布完成日期。立法机构计划在下一个会议上处理审计结果，该会议将于1月开始。