Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

The South Carolina Broadband Office (SCBBO) announced that broadband deployment is continuing at a rapid pace and, while construction is still underway statewide, only 28,724 Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSLs) remain unserved or underserved and lack an investment commitment. Of the remaining BSLs, 21,466 are residential, 5,469 are business, and 1,789 are Community Anchor Institutions. These totals represent 1.1% and 2.9% of the statewide residential and business BSLs, respectively.

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has indicated he’ll make fundamental changes to the $42 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. These changes, such as giving a stronger preference for satellite internet, could force states to restart their broadband grant programs. On April 3, a group of 115 state legislators from 28 states sent Secretary Lutnick a letter requesting that any BEAD changes be optional rather than mandatory.

Jim Stritzinger, Director of the South Carolina Broadband Office, likes “to think of the work we’re doing as an Olympic relay race.” The first leg, he said, was the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The second leg was federal funding like the US Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect Loan and Grant Program and the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. The third leg was the American Rescue Plan Act.

Recipients of Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) grants have expressed worries that years of planning to bring internet to underserved rural households could be stymied by the Trump administration’s shift in the program’s direction.

Rep Dave Taylor (R-OH-02)  introduced the Expanding Appalachia’s Broadband Access Act, which aims to increase access to broadband for rural communities across Appalachia. The Expanding Appalachia’s Broadband Access Act will direct the submission of a request to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study on the capabilities of low-orbit satellites operated under the purview of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

Reps Greg Landsman (D-OH-1) and Troy Carter (D-LA-2) led ten other members of the House Communications Subcommittee to send a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urging the immediate release of stalled Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program funds. "While we understand you have launched a review of the program, we urge you to consider the reality of where BEAD sits today and the consequences of retroactive mandates at this late stage. Despite predictions to the contrary, the so-called “pointless requirements” have not deterred private industry participation in BEAD.

The Commerce Department is considering changes to the distribution of the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program that could significantly delay broadband deployment and redirect billions away from fiber and fixed wireless in favor of Low-Earth Orbit satellite services like Starlink’s. LEO satellites have distinct advantages in remote areas, but they also have technical & economic tradeoffs that would undermine BEAD’s long-term goals of reliable, scalable broadband access.

The expansion of broadband in the United States is at a critical inflection point.

Governor Patrick Morrisey (R-WV) announced that West Virginia has been granted a 90-day extension to submit its final proposal to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.

At least two states—Maine and Minnesota—have contacted the U.S. Department of Commerce concerning the changes that may be made to the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. Minnesota’s suggestions about BEAD came via a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick from Bree Maki, the Executive Director of the Minnesota Office of Broadband Development.