NIST

Idaho Gets NIST Approval to Advance Broadband Deployment

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

Akul Saxena

Akul Saxena

— 2 min read
Idaho Gets NIST Approval to Advance Broadband Deployment
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.

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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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