WASHINGTON, D.C. — National Telecommunications and Information Administration Administrator Arielle Roth testified before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on June 30, 2026, announcing that guidance for approximately $20 billion in delayed federal rural broadband funds will be released this summer.

Roth stated that no final decision has been made on withholding funds from states with AI regulations as directed by a presidential executive order. "I'm not going to prejudge outcomes before we've completed our review. What I can say is ... the report will comply with the law," Roth said.

The NTIA and the Commerce Department previously delayed guidance for the remaining non-deployment funds under the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program in March 2026. Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chair Richard Hudson, R-N.C., questioned Roth about this delay and expressed support for using some non-deployment funds to upgrade to Next Generation 911.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order in December 2025 that mandated a policy notice linking access to remaining BEAD funds with whether states have artificial intelligence laws deemed "onerous" by the administration. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., stated that Congress passed the bipartisan infrastructure law to connect Americans to affordable, reliable broadband. "It did not condition broadband funding on whether a state regulates AI," Matsui said.

NTIA dashboard data from May 2026 shows that final BEAD deployment proposals have been approved for all states except California and Illinois. Rep. Nanette Barragán, D-Calif., asked Roth if there had been a directive to slow California's application. Roth denied these claims, stating the administration is working actively to get the application approved.

The NTIA restructured the BEAD program in summer 2025 to prioritize the cheapest possible deployment options. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., called this revamp "inexcusable" and stated, "And now we're seeing broadband providers leave the BEAD program and surrender their awards one after the other, not because of decisions made by the states, but because of moving goalposts and mismanagement from NTIA." Roth stated that about 1 percent of BEAD locations have been affected by program changes and noted there are multiple reasons providers might reject awards.