Trump’s Broadband Deregulation Is Exactly What Nevada Needs

A new Wall Street Journal opinion piece lays out something Washington almost never does anymore: a smart rollback of federal micromanagement that helps regular people. The Trump administration’s push to deregulate broadband, led by Commerce Department officials, marks a decisive break from the Biden-era obsession with bureaucracy, delay, and political box-checking.

And for Nevada, this couldn’t matter more.

Under President Donald Trump, the administration is refocusing broadband policy on one simple goal: getting high-speed internet built faster, cheaper, and in more places. That means fewer federal strings, less paperwork, and more room for private companies to invest and innovate, especially in hard-to-reach areas.

For a state like Nevada, with vast rural stretches, tribal lands, and fast-growing exurban communities, deregulation isn’t ideological. It’s practical.

Nevadans were told that massive federal spending under the Biden administration would close the digital divide. Instead, billions sat idle while Washington agencies argued over equity mandates, labor rules, climate add-ons, and compliance hurdles. The result? Years passed, shovels stayed in the shed, and rural communities waited.

As the WSJ opinion notes, regulation became the project, rather than connecting people.

The Trump administration is reversing that failure by stripping away nonessential requirements and restoring a pro-deployment mindset. The focus is no longer on satisfying activists in D.C., but on laying fiber, expanding wireless coverage, and getting results.

Nevada stands to gain in three major ways:

From Elko to Ely to Nye County, broadband expansion has been slowed by federal red tape that makes projects financially risky. Deregulation lowers costs and speeds approvals, making it finally worth building in rural Nevada.

Reliable internet is essential for logistics, mining technology, remote work, telehealth, and advanced manufacturing. A lighter regulatory touch encourages competition and private investment instead of government-directed monopolies.

When Washington stops dictating how networks must be built, providers can use the most efficient technologies available. That translates into faster timelines and more affordable service for Nevada families and small businesses.

This broadband shift highlights a broader contrast Nevadans are seeing across policy areas: Republicans focused on execution and growth, while Democrats remain stuck in process and ideology. One side wants results. The other wants control.

Nevada doesn’t need more press releases announcing funding. It needs fiber in the ground, towers online, and communities connected.

Trump’s broadband deregulation won’t make headlines at elite conferences, but it will make a difference in the Silver State. And that’s the kind of governing Nevada has been missing.