State broadband officials race the clock as elections loom

Plans to spend Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program dollars to connect underserved populations could be impacted by state elections, according to broadband policy experts. Among the ten states that got the largest BEAD allocations, three (Missouri, North Carolina and Louisiana) will hold gubernatorial elections before the end of 2024. Executive Director of ConnectLA Veneeth Iyengar—Louisiana’s broadband program—plans to have as much BEAD work as possible done before the inauguration of a potential Republican Governor in January. Additionally, North Carolina plans to spend most of its $1.53 billion BEAD allocation in rural areas that tend to vote Republican, but New Street Research Analyst Blair Levin said that doesn’t necessarily mean a new Republican governor would stick to the current plan. He added that at this time “the odds slightly favor the Democrats” in the North Carolina governor’s race, Gov Roy Cooper (D-NC) is term-limited. Missouri, which is set to receive $1.73 billion in BEAD funding, is also holding a 2024 election to replace a term-limited governor, though incumbent Gov Mike Parsons (R-MO) is a Republican and pollsters are projecting that the state’s next governor will be as well.