Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

The US government just dished out $930 million in support for middle mile broadband projects, but a pair of experts said there’s demand for billions in additional funding. Both noted that states could be the next big source of support as they work out how to divvy up their newly allocated Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) allotments. Zayo was one of the big winners in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) recent award round for the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program, scooping up nearly $93 million for three projects.

Maine became one of the first states to share a draft broadband action plan and companion Digital Equity Plan. The plan highlights the complex challenges faced by Maine residents who lack internet access, including limited opportunities for remote work, education, and healthcare, emphasizing the importance of bridging the digital divide to ensure that all residents can participate in the digital economy.

A day after the Biden administration announced how it will distribute its nearly $42.5 billion Broadband, Equity, Accessibility, and Deployment (BEAD) grant program, a group of state broadband officials touted the hundreds of millions of dollars they’re set to oversee, but with a note of curiosity as to why their awards weren’t greater. While this infusion of cash is undoubtedly cause for celebration, some

Now that Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program allocations have been announced, each state has 180 days to submit initial proposals describing how they plan to run their grant programs. Initial proposals can be submitted beginning July 1, 2023. Once the National Telecommunications and Information Administration approves a state’s initial proposal, that state will be able to request access to 20% of its BEAD allotment. But as states pull together plans for the NTIA, there is still apprehension surrounding the extensive broadband buildouts needed across the country.

The first time in a generation, the path of the middle class seemed out of reach. I knew we couldn’t go back to the same failed policies when I ran, so I came into office determined to change the economic direction of this country, to move from trickle-down economics to what everyone began to call “Bidenomics.” I designed and we signed [the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act]. Think of it this way: Nearly a century ago, Franklin Roosevelt’s Rural Electrification Act — Rural Electrification — brought electricity to millions of Americans in rural America.

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) is calling on Wisconsin households to share their internet experience to help direct recently announced broadband funding.

President Joe Biden gently mocked Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) for touting $1.4 billion in federal funding his home state is set to receive for expanded broadband internet access despite voting against it in 2021. “See you at the groundbreaking,” President Biden wrote along with a retweet of Sen.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)—as the agency responsible for administering the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program—provides additional guidance to inform the submission of Initial Proposals from states, territories, and the District of Columbia including the design and implementation of the BEAD Eligible Entity challenge processes.

Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) generated snickers and some jeers when he tweeted his excitement about the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding for Alabama. Even Twitter thought it necessary to add the context that Sen Tuberville voted against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that is providing this funding.

America is in the midst of a “rural renaissance,” thanks to unprecedented investment in broadband, said Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of NTCA—The Rural Broadband Association. Every dollar invested in broadband yields four dollars in benefits, said Kathryn de Wit, project director for the Broadband Access Initiative at The Pew Charitable Trusts which has been closely following state broadband initiatives for several years and was instrumental in reshaping federal po