Arizona Gets BEAD Volume Two Approval
It brings the total to 28 states, plus D.C. and three U.S. territories.
It brings the total to 28 states, plus D.C. and three U.S. territories.
WASHINGTON, August 5, 2024 – The Biden administration Monday approved Arizona’s plan for administering grants under the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, bringing the total to 28 states.
The state was allocated more than $993 million to expand broadband infrastructure through the program. With volume two of its initial proposal approved, Arizona is able to start fielding grant applications, but it will be some time before that process gets underway.
The state has finished adjudicating challenges to government broadband coverage data, but is still in the process of incorporating more recent data from the Federal Communications Commission and from other funding programs into its final map.
Once the set of BEAD-eligible locations has been finalized, it will need approval from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the agency tasked with handling the program, before accepting grant applications.
The state had yet to post its approved volume two publicly.
Kaptivate analysis finds some states’ references to rural America dropped 80 to 100 percent
Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Utah had their final proposals approved.
The approval follows recent elections where two Democrats won seats on the commission. Those Democrats oppose the plan but don't take office until January.
Lawmakers are considering how best to reform the fund.
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