Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

Whether it’s the nature of the area to be served or specific rules that don’t fit well in a given state or for a given provider, there will be some situations in which the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program just doesn’t add up. But it’s important that we figure out where that’s happening on a case-by-case basis, rather than categorically shrugging shoulders and saying, “It’s just not for me or those potential customers,” without any further thought or review. So, this is to say: let’s give BEAD a chance.

Gov Greg Gianforte (R-MT) announced that the State of Montana will be the first state in the nation to open its Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) application portal. On August 1, Gov.

The number of unserved and underserved locations in Connecticut is estimated to be just under 8,000 (0.57% of all locations in the state).

I write to request a detailed update on the major administrative delays in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program that have resulted from unlawful red tape imposed by your agency [the National Telecommunications and Information Administration]. Despite the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) three-year-old clear statutory mandate to bring the internet to the unserved, your agency has failed to connect a single American. What NTIA has done with the money so far is create a nearly billion-dollar slush fund to “administer” the program. Speci

Although broadband is widely available in Oregon, it is not universally available. Oregon and the Oregon Broadband Office (OBO) have been laying the groundwork for the delivery of affordable, reliable broadband internet to every household in Oregon.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved New York’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative.

On August 7, 2024, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released the third funding report showing fiscal year (FY) 2022 data reported by 13 agencies across 70 programs making investments in broadband.

Since Congress established the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, the media, government officials, and the public want to know how much funding will be available, which technologies will be deployed, and how the program will be administered. Often lost in the shuffle, however, are important steps Congress took to address long-standing challenges to equitable broadband access to ensure that funds received by state broadband offices are used to advance the BEAD program’s goals.

As part of his commitment to connect every home and business in Kentucky to high-speed internet, Gov. Andy Beshear announced today that the state has opened the Broadband Grants Management Portal for user registration. Registering is the first step in applying for funds from Kentucky’s $1.1 billion allocation from the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Internet service providers, local governments and nonprofits are all eligible.

In a recent panel, Gary Bolton, CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA), spoke candidly about the idea of SpaceX getting Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funds. Bolton said he thought using federal funding for low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite broadband coverage was “absurd.” He said SpaceX’s top boss Elon Musk already has his roadmap set for deploying Starlink satellites. He added that it would be a big “cop out” if the BEAD program left the most difficult-to-reach locations to satellite broadband. The U.S.