ITIF's Kane Urges NTIA to Follow Texas on BEAD

NTIA should follow Texas' lead in applying a "technology neutral approach" to the BEAD program, wrote Joe Kane, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation director-broadband and spectrum policy, on Friday. Kane cited Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar's recent letter to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, regarding the state's nearly $1 billion in leftover BEAD funding. "This success is due to Texas’s ongoing efforts to connect remote areas with a variety of technologies, including a pioneering low-earth-orbit satellite broadband program," he said. The "most pressing change" is making BEAD tech-neutral, Kane said: "Texas has already proven that rapid and economically responsible deployment is possible. Now, the federal government should follow its lead."