Broadband Communities reports…

Requirements asking providers to submit written statements pledging not to take additional subsidies to complete and operate BEAD projects have had a chilling effect, according to Bree Maki, the director of Minnesota’s office of broadband development.

Maki made the comments in her recent appearance on Beyond the Cable, a Broadband Communities podcast.

She said providers using subsidies from the Universal Service Fund have been most hesitant to participate in the government’s $42.45 billion broadband spend, known as the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program.

“There’s just a level of uncertainty,” she said, referencing the announcement from Arielle Roth last November directing states to obtain the written statements.

You can listen to the full interview below.