Arkansas Proposal Outlines Uses for Remaining BEAD Funds

May 19, 2026 – A new proposal outlines a phased framework for investing remaining Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment funds beyond last-mile deployment, targeting middle-mile infrastructure, permitting systems, and broadband-enabled economic development.

The framework, released Thursday by Glen Howie, Arkansas state broadband director, outlines three sequential phases, or "dominos," that states should work through before expanding into broader investments: first closing remaining deployment gaps, then strengthening core infrastructure, and finally using connectivity to drive measurable economic growth.

The proposal enters a broader national debate over how states may deploy roughly $22 billion in remaining BEAD funding, after deployment costs fell below initial projections partly due to Trump administration efforts to reduce program spending.