BEAD

Illinois was the last state to have their plan approved by the NTIA

By Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

With all 56 state and territorial final proposals now approved under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, federal officials will pivot to working directly with states and territories to oversee broadband deployment across the country.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced last Tuesday that it approved its final proposal (Illinois) for the program, marking the completion of the planning phase for the nationwide effort to expand high-speed internet access.

Up until recently, Illinois and California had existed in a state of BEAD limbo, as previously reported.

To highlight the government’s transition to deployment, Assistant Secretary of Commerce Arielle Roth joined Rep. Morgan Griffith, in Moneta, Virginia, to view local fiber and low Earth orbit satellite projects.

Virginia’s approved plan is set to connect over 85,000 locations. According to the NTIA, the plan will reduce broadband deployment expenditures by $930 million while utilizing roughly $430 million in matching funds. NTIA officials indicated that the agency will now shift its focus entirely to supporting state-level execution as local projects begin construction.

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