Broadband Breakfast

As state application windows continue to close for the $42.45 billion Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment program, a divide has emerged in provider participation. While some states have seen an influx of applications from internet service providers, others have drawn only a handful. Arkansas received bids to cover 96 percent of its BEAD-eligible locations, but Massachusetts, so far, has received just five applications proposing to reach about 50 percent of locations.

Lawyers defending the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to manage a longstanding $8.1 billion broadband subsidy expressed cautious optimism ahead of the March 26 Supreme Court oral arguments in FCC v.

Minnesota’s push to bring high-speed internet to every corner of the state could hit a roadblock.

An unexpected federal review is still holding up Louisiana’s $1.3 billion in federal broadband funding, according to one of the state’s broadband officers. “The review is still ongoing,” said Thomas Tyler, deputy director of the state’s broadband office. Louisiana, along with Delaware and Nevada, received approval on their spending plans for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program in the waning days of the Biden administration. That approval came from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Commerce Department agency handling BEAD. 

Federal Communications Commissioner Anna Gomez urged policymakers to set aside partisan fights and focus on more pressing issues, like ensuring the availability of spectrum and broadband infrastructure. “I keep hoping that we will turn away from the partisan culture wars and instead focus on our core priorities,” Commissioner Gomez said speaking at the INCOMPAS Policy Summit. She pointed to more pressing issues, like legal challenges to the Universal Service Fund that could jeopardize broadband access for millions of Americans.

Federal Communications Commissioner Nathan Simington delivered remarks at the ACA Connects 2025 Summit, where he discussed the priorities of the FCC under the new administration. Commissioner Simington, a Republican, said the FCC is “grappling with some problems right now that were left unaddressed for the last few years.” He added that he personally was “unhappy with some directions [the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program] took in the last administration.” Simington said that the FCC under the new administration was focused on practical solutions and getting things done.

Even though the U.S. Commerce Department agency responsible for broadband officially approved federal funds for Louisiana, Delaware and Nevada, those state broadband offices are unable go forward because an unrelated federal agency—the National Institute for Standards and Technology—has not done its routine check-off. Then-National Telecommunications and Information Administrator Alan Davidson approved Louisiana’s final proposal on Jan. 13, one week before Inauguration Day.

Arkansas’ first round of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment funding has yielded an efficient start, with just 2 percent of the state’s $1 billion allocation preliminarily covering 9 percent of eligible locations. The Arkansas State Broadband Office announced Feb. 7 that 18 applicants had been selected to receive $25.3 million in subsidies to extend broadband to 7,136 unserved or underserved locations within the state. The average requested subsidy per location was just $3,555.