News
Evan Feinman, the director of the BEAD program, reportedly has no plans to leave his post following Donald Trump’s victory.
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
The director of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program is planning to stay on the job in the next presidential administration, according to a recent report.
Evan Feinman, who has led the BEAD Program for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) at the Department of Commerce for over two years, previously served as the chief broadband advisor for the governor’s office in Virginia.
“I could be shown the door, but you know, I am not planning to leave, nor are any of my team,” he said, according to Broadband Breakfast’s reporting.
Feinman also said he doesn’t believe there will be a significant shift in the program’s objectives, many of which are already set in statute, Broadband Breakfast reported.
As the Broadband Breakfast article highlights, Feinman is not a political appointee. Instead, he’s a civil servant, the publication reported.
Previously, experts like Adlane Fellah, the founder and chief analyst of research-firm Maravedis, have predicted that Trump-backed policies “could benefit initiatives like Elon Musk’s Starlink and other tech ventures.”
Following the election, industry voices like Shirley Bloomfield, the CEO of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, said she appreciates the work of the previous Trump administration “to help advance and sustain robust and reliable rural networks.”
Jim Matheson, the CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), made similar comments.
“We congratulate President Trump on his election, and we look forward to working with him and Congress on a pro-energy agenda that protects affordability and reliability,” Matheson said on Nov. 6, according to a release from the NRECA.
Among the priorities listed by Matheson following the election, the deployment of rural broadband with BEAD funds was included as a key focus of the organization.
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