NTIA

Free State Foundation Head Supports Looking at BEAD Savings to Address Mobile Dead Zones

The proposal would direct up to $8 billion to expand rural 5G coverage.

Sergio Romero

Mar 19, 2026 — 1 min read

Photo of Randolph J. May, president of the Free State Foundation, from the Free State Foundation.

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2026 – A policy blog published Monday by the Free State Foundation suggested the federal government should consider using a portion of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program’s projected savings to expand mobile coverage in rural areas.

The proposal comes as officials at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration weigh how to allocate roughly $21 billion in surplus funding from the $42.45 billion BEAD program.

In the blog post, Free State Foundation President Randolph May said a plan proposed by T-Mobile to address remaining mobile coverage gaps “deserves serious consideration.”

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