Arkansas Proposal Outlines Uses for Remaining BEAD Funds
With $650 million in unspent BEAD funds, Arkansas says it has a plan for how to use them.
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.
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The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has been collecting stakeholder input on potential nondeployment uses, including permitting reform, mobile infrastructure, next-generation 911 upgrades, workforce development, and low-income broadband subsidies.
The agency has yet to issue formal guidance, which states had originally expected in March.
Howie described the document as a "thought leadership piece" that should not be interpreted as a commitment by Arkansas or NTIA regarding the permissibility of any specific investment category.
Arkansas secured commitments to connect all more than 79,000 unserved locations using just more than $300 million of its roughly $1 billion BEAD allocation, potentially leaving about $650 million available for additional investments.
Under the first phase, states would conduct a targeted "cleanup" round to connect locations that became newly eligible after BEAD maps were finalized, including homes affected by project defaults or newly built rural developments.
The second phase focuses on core infrastructure: middle-mile networks, mobile wireless coverage in difficult-to-serve areas, next-generation emergency communications systems, and statewide permitting platforms to streamline right-of-way approvals and cut deployment delays.
The third and most ambitious phase would direct funds toward broadband-enabled economic development, including precision agriculture, smart manufacturing, and small business digital adoption, in sectors where connectivity could measurably improve productivity and growth.
“A farmer with broadband but no access to precision agriculture tools is still operating below potential,” the document states.
The proposal calls for milestone-based disbursements, measurable performance standards, and private-sector co-investment requirements, arguing public dollars should catalyze private investment rather than substitute for it.
