National Telecommunications and Information Administration

The good news about the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program? Shovels could be in the ground in some states as soon as next summer. The bad news? One state official said it likely won’t be able to finish its subgrantee selection process until 2026 and dubbed BEAD a “10-year slog.” Here’s everything you need to know about what officials from Nevada, New York, Massachusetts and North Dakota said about the program:

The United States needs way more workers to support the upcoming flurry of federal-funded broadband projects. But the broadband industry’s also got catching up to do with its labor standards. In fact, the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program is the first federal broadband grant program with “any type of language” concerning labor practice requirements, according to Marcus Chambers, network telecom technician for CWA and state broadband lead for Maryland.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Alaska and Ohio’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. The approval enables Alaska and Ohio to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program. This action allows states to request:  

• Alaska: Over $1 billion
• Ohio: Over $793 million

Nebraska is aiming to connect 99 percent of homes and businesses with reliable and affordable high-speed internet access by 2027. Based on June 2023 data, 12-15 percent of Nebraska’s locations are unserved or underserved, and approximately 105,000 households lack acceptable access to the internet. An unfavorable business case for investment, especially in rural areas, has resulted in limited access.

Let’s discuss the current Broadband Policy State of Play and how the election may affect it. There are four fundamental goals of broadband policy:

In 2022, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) joined the nationwide celebration of Digital Inclusion Week, recognizing its critical role in fostering equitable Internet access and digital literacy. While Digital Inclusion Week remains a week-long event, NTIA expanded its observance into a month-long celebration in 2023, reflecting the pressing need to address digital disparities in depth. This extension underscores NTIA's commitment to ensuring that everyone, regardless of location, background, or circumstance, can fully participate in the digital world.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration's mission is to build a better-connected world. That work includes connecting everyone in America to reliable, affordable high-speed Internet service. The Internet for All initiative is historic. As such, we would be remiss if we failed to learn lessons from the recent history of other federal broadband programs. Top of mind are the failings of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, or RDOF.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced hat it received more than 700 applications requesting more than $6.5 billion in funding to support digital equity projects across the country.

It's easier to look past a slow internet connection when you can see Narragansett Bay sparkling outside your living room and hear the clink of sailboat rigging in the distance. Maybe that's why some residents of Rhode Island's East Bay and Newport County have put up with broadband infrastructure the state says doesn't stack up to what's available in the more dense areas north and west. And it's not just internet.

In 2022, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) launched the Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP) to bridge the connectivity gap in unserved communities, including rural communities, in America.