In a move that is being seen as a boon for Elon Musk, the Trump administration has announced a significant overhaul of the 2021 US Department of Commerce‘s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. The program, which has a budget of $42.5 billion, is set to undergo changes that will likely funnel work to Musk’s Starlink.

The original BEAD program was designed to provide states with funding for the installation of fiber-optic cables, expansion of Wi-Fi networks, and free broadband internet access for certain individuals. However, the new mandate will eliminate the program’s preference for fiber-optic broadband, which offers the fastest internet speeds.

According to US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, “The Department is removing the Biden Administration’s unnecessary requirements and revamping the BEAD program to take a tech-neutral approach that is driven by outcomes, allowing states to provide internet access at the lowest cost.”

The implications of this move are clear: Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and leader of a department aimed at reducing government waste, is poised to increase his wealth. This comes after his department has cut many critical jobs and programs.

In 2023, under the Biden administration, Starlink was rejected by the Federal Communications Commission for nearly $900 million in subsidies as part of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund program. The FCC stated that Starlink’s application failed to meet the program’s requirements.