When Will We See BEAD Construction?

There are a lot of folks who think there will be substantial Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) spending in 2025. I don’t want to burst bubbles, but I just can’t see that happening. Like every other part of the BEAD process, there are delays coming that are going to drive folks crazy. The rule that is going to cause the biggest delays is that no grants can be awarded in a state until a broadband office has lined up an internet service provider (ISP) to reach every unserved and underserved passing. Most states will need multiple rounds of grant applications to reach every passing with broadband. This process is very different from how state broadband grants have historically been handled. If a state historically found a good grant recipient in the first round, the state could proceed quickly to a grant award and get that project started. So, I see only a tiny fraction of BEAD construction happening in 2025.