How Did the ‘Benefit of the Bargain’ Change West Virginia’s BEAD Plan?

On August 19, 2025, West Virginia released its revised Final Proposal for the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The West Virginia Office of Broadband recommends awarding $625 million in BEAD funding to deploy broadband infrastructure to 73,701 eligible locations. Of those locations, 94.2 percent would be served by fiber to the premises and 5.8 percent by low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite. In March 2025, West Virginia withdrew its original draft Final Proposal for the BEAD Program, hinting that forthcoming rules changes from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) would necessitate substantial revisions to the plan. Indeed, on June 6th, the NTIA released rule changes that fundamentally restructured the BEAD program. Since then, West Virginia, like all other states, has re-run its BEAD program under the new rules. Comparing West Virginia’s two “final” proposals reveals some key differences and demonstrates an enduring commitment to bring the best broadband infrastructure possible to all residents.