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Seemingly arbitrary decisions and reviews with seemingly pre-determined outcomes left Evan Feinman’s staff ‘constantly concerned,’ the former director of BEAD explained on Beyond the Cable
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
The arbitrary nature of decision making left former Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) staffers constantly concerned about their jobs, according to Evan Feinman, the program’s former director.
Feinman, who sat down today with Broadband Communities, made the comments on the Beyond the Cable podcast.
“My really high-talent staff was constantly concerned that they were going to be let go at any reason,” Feinman said. “Not because they were underperforming, not because they weren’t getting the job done, but irrespective or whether or not they were performing and getting the job done.”
According to Feinman, who resigned his post on Friday, March 14, that fear hurt the culture within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
The NTIA, a bureau within the U.S. Department of Commerce, is described as the executive branch agency most responsible for advising the White House on matters like information policy and telecommunications.
As the director of the BEAD Program, Feinman oversaw the rollout of the nation’s $42.42 billion investment into expanding broadband access in America under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Feinman said BEAD is state-led effort.
“At least it was conceived to be,” he said. “The new administration seems to be interested in making it a much more top-down, directed out of D.C., approach.”
A ‘pretty clear directive’
Feinman’s departure additionally came shortly after Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick announced a “rigorous review” of BEAD.
“I would really welcome a rigorous review,” he said. “That was not my experience. Instead, it seems as though the outcome of any review had been determined already.”
Feinman also added detail to earlier reporting that he’d been pressured to increase focus on low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite.
“The pretty clear directive that came from the secretary’s office was to increase the use of satellite and to decrease the use of fiber,” he said. “I don’t think that’s really well-supported by a plain reading of the statue that created the BEAD program.”
Feinman also clarified that previously reported comments from Lutnick emphasizing a focus on LEO coverage, and asking if Feinman had ever spoken to Elon Musk, were relayed to him by a colleague.
“I did not have Sec. Lutnick say that directly to me,” he said, adding that he was told about Lutnick’s comments by a colleague debriefing him shortly after the comments were made.
He said he has confidence that the reported comments were spoken, however.
“I got the debrief from the meeting minutes after it occurred,” he said. “So, there was no real debate, and I got it from multiple people.”
Feinman also said he thinks it is “significant” that there has been no pushback regarding the content of that meeting.
“If there had been inaccurate reporting about the content of Secretary Lutnick’s directive, they’d have pushed back on that and they haven’t at all,” he said.
How to listen
Feinman is worried that the new direction of the BEAD Program could “lock in” a digital divide. Click here to listen to the full episode on Spotify.
Apple Podcasts listeners, meanwhile, may click here to hear the full interview with Feinman.
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