Former FCC Chairman Urges County-Level BEAD Project Areas

DENVER, August 7, 2024 – Former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and his private equity firm, now involved in the largest federal broadband program, has advised states to create grant funding areas based on large geographic unit, like counties.

Pai, speaking on Tuesday panel here at the Mountain Connect conference, joined several of his now-colleagues at Searchlight Capital Partners in discussing “why private capital is key to winning BEAD.” That's a reference to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program.