Congress funded the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 to expand broadband access in rural and underserved communities. The Trump administration's December 2025 AI executive order directed the Commerce Department to make states with AI regulations deemed onerous ineligible for remaining BEAD non-deployment funds — covering planning, administration, outreach, and data work. States could still receive funding for physical infrastructure but would lose support funds. Legal analysts say this tactic will face challenges under the Spending Clause coercion principle from NFIB v. Sebelius.