The Trump administration’s nominee to oversee a $42 billion government fund to bring high-speed broadband internet to unserved or underserved parts of the United States denied on Thursday that she would administer the program to benefit Starlink owner Elon Musk.
Democrats have suggested that Musk, a billionaire and close adviser to President Donald Trump, could receive as much as $20 billion of the funding by eliminating the program’s preference for fiber and boosting satellite service.
Arielle Roth, who has been nominated to head the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, said at a Senate hearing that she will “administer the program to the benefit of the American people, not any single individual or company.”
U.S. Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, noted that the law gave preference to fiber because it was cheaper. “I strongly urge you to oppose this giveaway to Elon Musk,” Markey said.
Republicans have criticized the program because it was approved in 2021 and has yet to connect any Americans to the internet.
Markey said the program does not exclude satellite service but limits it to areas where fiber is excessively expensive.
Senate Committee chair Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, suggested the Biden administration had blacklisted Musk for political reasons.
To date, three states have received approval of their final proposal, four states have completed their selection of internet service providers, and 30 states are in the midst of running application rounds.
Democrats note that the Trump administration has not moved state programs forward in the process since retaking the White House in January.
Earlier this month, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the department has launched a review of the program “to take a tech-neutral approach that is rigorously driven by outcomes, so states can provide internet access for the lowest cost.” Reuters