President Donald Trump displays a signed executive order beside Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and White House artificial intelligence and crypto czar David Sacks in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)
Many lawmakers and advocacy groups criticized President Donald Trump's executive order banning state AI laws as a threat to states' rights and a handout to Big Tech.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick looks on during remarks to the press at the end of an EU Foreign Affairs Council about Trade in Brussels on Nov. 24, 2025. (Nicolas Tucat / AFP)
A letter signed by 164 state legislators urges the Commerce Department to release the full amount of funds states were set to receive through the BEAD program.
"They say everything is bigger in Texas, and we certainly saw that with the effort put forth in their BEAD Final Proposal," said NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth.
From Arkansas to the Northern Mariana Islands, states are beginning to see their broadband proposals approved under the Trump administration's new rules.
A van sits in the Swannanoa River near Biltmore Village after Hurricane Helene swept through Asheville, North Carolina, in late September 2024. (Getty Images)