NTIA should let states put leftover BEAD funds toward Next Generation 9-1-1 upgrades, no new money from Congress required.

Tentative NTIA estimates appear to target about half those locations

The state’s broadband director said grant winners are seeing cost overruns

Corning will supply Verizon with more than 80 million miles of fiber from 2027 through 2032

Based on tentative location counts, as much as $2.4 billion could be available for additional projects

State officials were glad to secure coverage for more locations but had mixed feelings about a new policy notice

Illinois was the final state approved under the federal government’s landmark broadband program. Michigan, Hawaii, Virginia and California are among many states now building.

NTIA said it would outline other allowable uses in a future update

The company is still aiming for 2 million fiber passings by the end of 2027

USDA officials said a $4.6 billion telecom loan program was largely unallocated, but they expected more interest as grant funding dried up

GCI has expanded 5G service to nine more Southeast Alaska communities, boosting mobile connectivity across the region.

The program’s 3.79 million locations are set to 63 percent fiber and 22 percent satellite, based on NTIA-approved plans

The USDA spent $34.91 million on fiber to reach 28 customers in two remote Alaska villages, topping $2 million per passing, the author says

Nearly $1.5 billion in public and private investment will expand broadband access to roughly 200,000 locations.

The state said SpaceX’s BEAD locations were unchanged

It was the last state awaiting NTIA clearance

Cuts to federal benefits could push 233,000 households off broadband, researcher warns.

Congress keeps asking how to build faster, but nobody has defined how much delay or funding variance the system will tolerate before escalation is automatic.

Lumen said it was laying middle mile fiber next to strands reserved by hyperscalers

Faster provider reporting and engineering field data would make FCC broadband maps more accurate, and that matters for investment decisions well beyond BEAD.

I’m a former State Broadband Officer. Here's what other SBOs are saying about BEAD.

The agency asked states to reduce satellite awards, but some had already signed their agreements

The data center interconnection freeze is separate from the state's halting the disbursements of billions in broadband funding.

Cable group asks Senate committee leaders to include broadband reforms in any permitting package.

A broadband mess in Texas

An audit is underway, but no completion date has been set.

One engineer suggested outside consultants to support local permitting agencies

Now that the big three carriers are jointly building satellite direct-to-device coverage, BEAD should stop chasing rural mobile and stick to connecting unserved homes.

Fellow U.S. fiber manufacturer Psyrmian announced Wednesday it was spending $1 billion to expand its capacity at four facilities

Once envisioned at $95 million, the buildout will now reach the same locations for a third that cost.

Equipment costs are rising as projects get underway

Republicans were unable to move their bill forward. The measure will determine the future of the USDA’s ReConnect Broadband program.

Virginia has stripped the company from multiple state-subsidized broadband projects after years of missed deadlines and funding shortfalls.

ACLP researchers said that was likely an undercount

One ISP backed out of a small project, but other winners are scooping up those locations

New CostQuest analysis found federally funded areas are increasingly served by multiple providers

NTIA has been adamant that it’s preventing defaults

The state office must execute 93 more contracts by October 2026.

The agency announced a 60-day extension to align with BEAD and other funding.

Rural providers participating in a federal program say ‘unforeseen circumstances’ are making a 2028 deadline unworkable.

The state’s interconnected backhaul vision depends on uncertain federal funding and expanded legal authority.

Watchdog says NTIA did not provide updated data or outcomes for awards flagged during Trump administration review.

GAO tells lawmakers fewer broadband programs may be needed after BEAD

The department says claims have been driven by misinformation.

We need new ways to fund programs, and the Alt Funding Field Guide makes the case that digital inclusion creates economic value

The carrier had pulled the service over the state’s Affordable Broadband Act

Four state broadband directors, still awaiting federal guidance on billions in remaining BEAD funds, speak at Broadband Breakfast Live Online event.

NTIA would have to publish states’ semiannual reports

The state’s LEO locations decreased by nearly half compared to its draft plan. Fiber and fixed wireless didn’t significantly change.

State officials say they will have to use state funds to connect the remaining 31,000 locations.

NTIA is asking states to remove locations based on new broadband mapping data

The real broadband fight isn't over data centers but over whether $21 billion in leftover BEAD savings goes toward helping people actually use the networks being built.

Labor and public interest groups concerned over LEO providers' ability to carry out their commitments.

OMB is proposing making it easier for agencies to cancel awards and eliminating milestone-based payments

The state is wrapping up projects under the American Rescue Plan Act and working with ISPs to navigate permitting for BEAD.

To date, 95 percent North Dakota households have access to internet speeds of 100 Mbps.

NTIA said the new FCC broadband coverage map showed expanded terrestrial service in rural areas

Utility regulators in Washington, Ohio, and Connecticut call FCC’s proposed recertification unnecessary.

Pew said in a recent paper that states have multiple avenues for shoring up their workforces ahead of BEAD

Nathan Johnson says the state’s subgrant selection process ‘sure looks like’ corruption.

The plan pairs immediate Starlink service with a 1,265-mile fiber and 5G buildout.

Amazon Leo picked up more than 5,000 locations

State and federal American Rescue Plan Act funds take eight ISPs out of the BEAD program.

The Texas Governor’s office is pushing back against allegations of favoritism and sweetheart deals.

The bipartisan FIREWALL Act would restrict federal broadband funding to domestically sourced or allied fiber-optic cable.

What are the challenges faced by builders under the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program?

The portal discloses how $1.3 billion in federal funding is being used throughout the state.

The company was set to receive more than $90 million to serve 11,000 locations

From education to healthcare, the ripple effects on our economy and daily lives will be monumental. But there’s a catch.

Four projects led by Plumas-Sierra Telecom awarded $14.7 million of approved funding

Providers anticipate understaffed cities, utilities being a deployment challenge.

House Democrats dispute characterization of $21 billion in unspent funds as ‘taxpayer savings.’

Arkansas also signed a grant agreement with SpaceX.

The satellite operator has signed agreements in multiple other states.

Resound also dropped out in the state.

Aggressive FCC enforcement and congressional action is necessary to establish a uniform national standard on pole-attachment cost-sharing and timelines, the author writes.

Wire 3 and NEK Broadband will offer discounted plans to internet users.

Despite federal promises to accelerate deployment, states are still waiting on approvals to access broadband funds.

The Trump administration official expressed excitement over the program’s expansion and hopes to see more progress.

The state was optimistic it would finalize a still-pending contract with Amazon, which refused its Nebraska award.

The NTIA administrator discussed some of the challenges and updates facing the administration.

That’s more than 37 percent of the program’s total project costs, the group found.

Two said they were turning down tentative BEAD awards.

Executive says rising bandwidth demands and sparse population make long-term support necessary.

Experts say connectivity gains are real, but affordability and oversight will determine BEAD's lasting impact.

The governor can use existing rules to make BEAD funding accessible, the Democrat says.

Current processing timelines exceed what surrounding states and FCC timelines look like.

The number of homes a network passes is not the same as the number of homes that can realistically receive multi-gig service.

In Louisiana's poorest parish, a $6 million BEAD fiber award became a $150,000 Starlink contract under the Trump administration's rewritten program, leaving Lake Providence behind.

The state is opening a new round of bidding for 12 percent of its BEAD locations. SpaceX did sign a contract with the state.

Fiber construction workers are increasingly being recruited by data center developers, tightening an already scarce labor pool.

The broadband trade association wants greater transparency for BEAD buildouts.

The state says 30,000 locations are expected to remain unserved after federal deployments finish.

What is fiber's expanding role in telehealth, precision agriculture, quantum networks and data centers?

Fiber industry speaking at BroadbandLive at Fiber Connect on Tuesday discussed BEAD delays, workforce shortages and data center demand.

$10 million program takes effect Wednesday, with potential to expand to $45 million annually.

With $650 million in unspent BEAD funds, Arkansas says it has a plan for how to use them.

State broadband and agriculture agencies remain siloed despite precision agriculture's growing connectivity demands, panelists said.

One in four Americans will be over 65 within years. An industry partnership is building the digital literacy infrastructure to reach them.

Fiber Connect 2026 panelists said the broadband buildout has become a marathon, reshaped by soaring make-ready costs.