Capito Still Waiting to Hear from Lutnick on BEAD

May 16, 2025 – Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) has not heard back from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick regarding her recent request that he expedite his review of BEAD program rules, which he put on hold in early March.

“We have not received a response. We have, however, been in close contact with them to reinforce the frustration that I feel,” Capito said at a press session with West Virginia media Thursday.

The Biden administration in 2023 allocated $1.2 billion in BEAD funding to West Virginia.

Capito mentioned the billion dollars that the state was promised for fiber networking: “Three-and-a-half years in, and we haven’t spent one dollar,”

She said they are still waiting on their plans to be accepted to begin work.