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

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2025 – 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When those new rules were instituted in June, the National telecommunication and Information Administration rescinded approval for any non-deployment activities, something state broadband offices had been planning on pursuing.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.