NIST

Idaho Gets NIST Approval to Advance Broadband Deployment

Idaho, Washington, Nebraska detailed mixed-technology builds and non-deployment priorities

Akul Saxena

Jan 28, 2026 — 2 min read

Photo of (from left), Ramon Hobbey-Sánchez, director of the Idaho State Broadband Office; Chip Pickering (moderator), chief executive of INCOMPAS; Patrick Haggerty (on screen), director of the Nebraska State Broadband Office; and Ariane Schmidt, executive director of Broadlinc at the Connecting Communities Summit in Milpitas, Calif.

MILPITAS, Calif., Jan. 28, 2026 — Idaho received clearance from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a federal oversight agency this week, allowing the state to advance deployment of its $583 million allocation under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.

Officials from Idaho, Washington, and Nebraska outlined deployment plans and remaining federal reviews at a panel held at the Tarana Wireless headquarters in California’s Silicon Valley, moderated by Chip Pickering, chief executive of telecom trade group INCOMPAS.

Ramon Hobbey-Sánchez, director of the Idaho State Broadband Office, said the state received NIST approval and awarded 92 projects to 23 subgrantees, targeting 92,500 homes and businesses.

Post tagged in

NIST Washington BEAD Tarana Wireless Summit 2026 Idaho Spokane Milpitas California INCOMPAS Ariane Schmidt Nebraska Broadlinc Patrick Haggerty Ramon Hobbey-Sánchez Commerce

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