Hypothetical Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment Program funding for states using current Form 477 data

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) gives the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) a specific allocation formula for distributing the $42.45 billion in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Importantly, even the allocation of funds to states has to wait until after the Federal Communications Commission is done with their new maps. After all, the formula is based on the number of unserved locations and we don’t trust the existing data on unserved locations. Here, I use the existing Form 477 data to do an initial allocation, then use parameters from existing research to make estimates about how the allocations might change under the new maps. Small changes in the number of unserved locations relative to other states can mean a big swing in funding. Ultimately, the adjustments produce a dramatic swing in funding towards bigger more urban states. This data need thorough peer review—here’s the spreadsheet. However, I think it’s safe to say that given the small amount of unserved housing units nationally (4.1 percent of housing units are unserved), the changes to those numbers that will happen with the FCC’s new maps will lead to big changes in the funding allocation relative to what the existing maps would produce.

[Mike Conlow writes about technology, policy, politics, and economics in various combinations in 'Mike's Newsletter'.]