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Louisiana will be able to access BEAD funds after the first batch of NTIA approvals to reworked final BEAD proposals was announced this week.
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
Final proposals from 18 states and territories for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program have been approved by National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) officials.
The approvals, announced yesterday, mark the first time any final proposals have been approved following a BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice, issued in June.
The restructuring notice, billed as BEAD’s “Benefit of the Bargain,” asked states to rework their BEAD proposals in the interests of increasing taxpayer savings.
Standing out on the list of approved proposals was Louisiana.
Louisiana had been the first state to gain approval for their final proposal during the final days of former President Joe Biden’s term.
Business leaders in Louisiana had been vocal about the impacts of the BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice. At least one Louisiana company reported layoffs as a direct result.
Now, following the NTIA announcement, Louisiana has become the first state to sign their award amendment.
NTIA says it paves the way for Louisiana to begin accessing $1.36 billion in BEAD funds.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said Louisiana is now at the forefront of America’s tech transformation.
“By focusing on efficiency and accountability, Louisiana is leading the way in deploying infrastructure, creating jobs, and preparing our country to win the future,” he also said.
Other states to have their final BEAD proposals approved by NTIA included Wyoming, Iowa, Georgia, Arkansas, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, South Carolina, North Dakota, Hawaii, Montana, Rhode Island, and Virginia.
Additionally, a handful of territories – American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands – had their proposals approved, NTIA also announced.
“Taxpayers will save billions”
According to NTIA, the 18 approvals announced Tuesday represent a total of $6 billion in taxpayer savings.
“After stripping away burdensome rules and regulations and wasteful requirements, taxpayers will save billions in unnecessary costs while connecting those in need to high-speed broadband through the full spectrum of broadband technologies,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, in comments included with Tuesday’s announcement.
Comments from Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth were also included.
“The Trump Administration is on track to deliver universal connectivity in the United States once and for all, with huge cost savings for the American people,” Roth said. “The final proposals approved today show that the Benefit of the Bargain reforms are working and that our focus on results and strong oversight is paying dividends for communities across the country.”
Only three final proposals, among all 56 eligible entities, have yet to be received by NTIA, the administration said.
Eligible entities previously had a September 4 deadline to submit their revised final BEAD proposals.
As the deadline passed, 20 states and territories were granted extensions.
At the time, South Dakota, Texas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Utah were listed as the only states and territories marked as not yet having submitted their revised final proposal to NTIA.
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