Faster Internet Is Coming to America—as Soon as the Government Knows Where to Build It

The government’s $42.5 billion plan to expand internet service to underserved communities is stuck in a holding pattern nearly nine months after approval, largely because authorities still don’t know where gaps need to be filled. The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, part of the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed by President Biden in November 2021, stipulates that money to improve service can’t be doled out until the Federal Communications Commission completes new maps showing where homes and businesses lack fast service. Lawmakers demanded new maps after flawed data in past subsidy programs caused construction projects across the country to bypass many of the Americans that they were supposed to serve. Officials warn, however, that getting the mapping right will take time. That could mean a delay in the expansion of service to people who have long struggled with slow internet.