Legis Daily

SPEED for BEAD Act

USA119th CongressHR-1870| House 
| Updated: 3/5/2025
Richard Hudson

Richard Hudson

Republican Representative

North Carolina

Cosponsors (22)
Rick W. Allen (Republican)Neal P. Dunn (Republican)Robert J. Wittman (Republican)Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Republican)Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican)Gus M. Bilirakis (Republican)Roger Williams (Republican)Kat Cammack (Republican)John Joyce (Republican)August Pfluger (Republican)Pat Harrigan (Republican)Russell Fry (Republican)Dan Crenshaw (Republican)Jay Obernolte (Republican)Robert E. Latta (Republican)Randy K. Sr. Weber (Republican)Russ Fulcher (Republican)Virginia Foxx (Republican)Erin Houchin (Republican)Jack Bergman (Republican)Julie Fedorchak (Republican)Craig A. Goldman (Republican)

Energy and Commerce Committee

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
The "Streamlining Program Efficiency and Expanding Deployment for BEAD Act," or "SPEED for BEAD Act," aims to improve the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. A key change is renaming the program to the Broadband Expansion, Access, and Deployment Program , signaling a shift in emphasis from "equity" to "expansion." The bill also defines "gigabit-level broadband service" for community anchor institutions as reliable service with download speeds of at least 1,000 megabits per second. A significant provision prohibits the Assistant Secretary or eligible entities from imposing various conditions on BEAD grants and subgrants. These include requirements related to prevailing wages, project labor agreements, union workforces, local hiring, climate change, open access, and diversity, equity, and inclusion . Furthermore, the bill explicitly states that neither federal agencies nor eligible entities may regulate, set, or mandate broadband service rates or the methodologies used to calculate them, including through capping or freezing rates. The legislation introduces reforms to enhance program flexibility and efficiency, allowing prospective subgrantees to remove locations from a project area if they determine it would unreasonably increase costs. It also mandates that all technologies meeting performance criteria be considered eligible for reliable broadband service, promoting technology neutrality . If states fail to use their full BEAD allocation by the deadline, unused amounts will be transferred to the general fund of the Treasury, and the permissible uses of funds are narrowed, removing specific broadband affordability and adoption programs.
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Timeline
Mar 5, 2025
Introduced in House
Mar 5, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
  • March 5, 2025
    Introduced in House


  • March 5, 2025
    Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Science, Technology, Communications

SPEED for BEAD Act

USA119th CongressHR-1870| House 
| Updated: 3/5/2025
The "Streamlining Program Efficiency and Expanding Deployment for BEAD Act," or "SPEED for BEAD Act," aims to improve the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. A key change is renaming the program to the Broadband Expansion, Access, and Deployment Program , signaling a shift in emphasis from "equity" to "expansion." The bill also defines "gigabit-level broadband service" for community anchor institutions as reliable service with download speeds of at least 1,000 megabits per second. A significant provision prohibits the Assistant Secretary or eligible entities from imposing various conditions on BEAD grants and subgrants. These include requirements related to prevailing wages, project labor agreements, union workforces, local hiring, climate change, open access, and diversity, equity, and inclusion . Furthermore, the bill explicitly states that neither federal agencies nor eligible entities may regulate, set, or mandate broadband service rates or the methodologies used to calculate them, including through capping or freezing rates. The legislation introduces reforms to enhance program flexibility and efficiency, allowing prospective subgrantees to remove locations from a project area if they determine it would unreasonably increase costs. It also mandates that all technologies meeting performance criteria be considered eligible for reliable broadband service, promoting technology neutrality . If states fail to use their full BEAD allocation by the deadline, unused amounts will be transferred to the general fund of the Treasury, and the permissible uses of funds are narrowed, removing specific broadband affordability and adoption programs.
View Full Text

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Timeline
Mar 5, 2025
Introduced in House
Mar 5, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
  • March 5, 2025
    Introduced in House


  • March 5, 2025
    Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Richard Hudson

Richard Hudson

Republican Representative

North Carolina

Cosponsors (22)
Rick W. Allen (Republican)Neal P. Dunn (Republican)Robert J. Wittman (Republican)Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Republican)Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican)Gus M. Bilirakis (Republican)Roger Williams (Republican)Kat Cammack (Republican)John Joyce (Republican)August Pfluger (Republican)Pat Harrigan (Republican)Russell Fry (Republican)Dan Crenshaw (Republican)Jay Obernolte (Republican)Robert E. Latta (Republican)Randy K. Sr. Weber (Republican)Russ Fulcher (Republican)Virginia Foxx (Republican)Erin Houchin (Republican)Jack Bergman (Republican)Julie Fedorchak (Republican)Craig A. Goldman (Republican)

Energy and Commerce Committee

Science, Technology, Communications

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted