BEAD State Directors Recognize Progress But Still Have Issues

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2025 – With billions of dollars in broadband funding close to going into motion, state leaders say the first wave of BEAD applications showed progress but uncertainty remains about how non-deployment dollars will ultimately be used.

At a TechExpo25 panel in Washington on Monday, officials pointed to competitive bidding and refined eligibility lists as reasons for the reduced demand. But the question of what happens to the unused funds remained unanswered.

Georgia broadband director Jessica Simmons said her state expects to spend about $310 million of its $1.3 billion allocation on deployment projects. She attributed the drop to providers offering more competitive bids, with per-location costs serving as a key evaluation factor.