The White House announced Monday how nearly $42.5 billion in BEAD funds will be divided among states and territories. The program, to be administered by NTIA, marks the federal government’s single-biggest investment in high-speed internet access, according to the White House. President Biden said the goal of connecting all Americans to high-speed internet is “bold” but “there’s nothing beyond our capacity.”
Awards range from $27 million to over $3 billion, with every state receiving a minimum of $107 million. Nineteen states received allocations over $1 billion with the top 10 allocations in Alabama, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington. The administration says with these allocations and other agency investments, all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the territories now have the resources to connect every resident and small business to reliable, affordable high-speed internet by 2030.
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients compared Biden’s BEAD funding announcement to President Franklin Roosevelt’s 1936 Rural Electrification Act — legislation that delivered electricity to every farming family in America and is now known as “the night the lights came on,” he said to reporters, noted State Scoop. “I think it’s fair to say [that legislation] helped transform rural America, and importantly demonstrated that government can get things done for people,” Zients said. “Fast forward nine decades later, under President Biden’s leadership, the infamous infrastructure week, or infrastructure month, has finally become a reality.”
NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson called the allocations “a watershed moment” for millions of people who don’t have internet access. “States can now plan their Internet access grant programs with confidence and engage with communities to ensure this money is spent where it is most needed.”
The BEAD funding will be used to deploy or upgrade broadband networks to ensure that everyone has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet service. Once deployment goals are met, any remaining funding can be used to pursue eligible access-, adoption-, and equity-related uses, according to NTIA.
States, D.C., and territories will receive their formal notice of allocation this Friday, June 30. Under the bipartisan Infrastructure Law, eligible entities have 180 days from the date of that formal notice to submit their initial proposals describing how they propose to run their grant programs. Eligible entities can begin submitting their initial proposals starting July 1. Once the NTIA approves states’ initial plans, states will be able to access up to 20 percent of their funds. States will then run competitive sub-granting processes before submitting their final plans to the NTIA for approval in spring 2025, and receiving the remaining 80 percent of their allocations.
Click here to see the full list of allocations.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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