BEAD

Non-Deployment Funds Unlikely to be Clawed Back, Experts Say

NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth has said she would support permitting reform as one potential use for the funds.

Jake Neenan

Jan 7, 2026 — 3 min read

Photo of Pew Charitable Trusts' Broadband Access Initiative Director Kathryn de Wit from Pew

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2026 – Nearly half of the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program’s funding won’t be used for broadband deployment projects, partly a result of new Trump administration rules aimed at cost cutting.

When those new rules were instituted in June, the National telecommunication and Information Administration rescinded approval for any non-deployment activities, something state broadband offices had been planning on pursuing.

Fiber Broadband Association CEO Gary Bolton and Pew Charitable Trusts' Broadband Access Initiative Director Kathryn de Wit said they’re optimistic that states will ultimately see their non-deployment money, even if it’s not yet clear exactly how they’ll be able to use it.