BEAD Program: A Framework to Allocate Funding for Broadband Availability

ACA Connects, in partnership with Cartesian, announced the release of “BEAD Program: A Framework to Allocate Funding for Broadband Availability – Version 4.0.” This newest version, using data from the latest National Broadband Map, estimates that when States and Territories begin to select broadband deployment projects, 6.4 million unserved and underserved locations will be eligible for Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding and that the program should be able to provide robust broadband service to all these eligible locations. This includes by providing service over fiber infrastructure – the BEAD program’s preferred broadband technology – to at least 71 percent of eligible locations. The updated analysis indicates that funding is still sufficient to achieve BEAD’s broadband availability goal.