Will Your State Gain or Lose State BEAD Funds Based on FCC Map Update?

Twenty-seven states are expected to see larger allocations in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program based on the updated Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Map in comparison with earlier estimates based on older data, according to a new analysis conducted by researchers at Cartesian for provider association ACA Connects. The other 23 states will see less funding, according to the updated estimates. The increase or decrease for 31 states will be no more than 20%. The state that is expected to see the biggest gain is Nebraska, which was originally estimated to receive $210 million but is now expected to receive $633 million — an increase of over 200%. Other big gainers are expected to include Alaska (84%), Iowa (63%), New Jersey (63%), Oregon (60%), and Kansas (50%). The states that are expected to see the biggest drop in comparison with Cartesian’s previous estimates are Arkansas, Michigan, and South Carolina, all of which are expected to see declines of 25%.