Federal Officials Reject D.C. Broadband Funding Request
Site inspections found the proposed locations were already served or not valid broadband sites.
WASHINGTON, March 12, 2026 – The federal agency overseeing the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program rejected a proposed broadband expansion project in Washington, D.C., after determining the locations identified for service did not actually require federal subsidies.
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Arielle Roth said the National Telecommunications and Information Administration ultimately approved $0 in BEAD funding for the district after reviewing its proposal.
The city initially sought nearly $4 million to connect 55 locations, which would have amounted to roughly $70,000 per address, Roth said during a policy discussion hosted by the Technology Policy Institute.
The high cost triggered additional scrutiny from NTIA, she said.
After federal officials asked the district to revisit its proposal, the price of the project dropped sharply to about $6,000 per location, Roth said. The revision prompted further questions about whether the addresses actually lacked broadband service.
NTIA staff then visited the remaining locations and found none qualified as unserved under the program’s criteria, Roth said. Some of the sites were not valid service locations, including an open field and a utility shed near railroad tracks.
As a result, NTIA concluded the district did not require federal broadband deployment funds.
Roth said the review illustrated the importance of oversight as the government distributes BEAD funding to expand internet access nationwide.
“We don’t want to be funding hay bales or open fields,” Roth said, adding that federal and state officials must carefully verify eligible locations before subsidies are awarded.
The BEAD program was created in 2021 to fund broadband deployment in unserved and underserved areas across the United States. Federal officials say they expect to complete the program’s deployment goals using roughly half of the program’s $42.5 billion allocation.
Member discussion