BEAD

NTIA Approves 9 BEAD Plans, Promises Early 2026 Guidance on Non-Deployment Funds

NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth said the agency was ‘operating under the assumption’ states could retain and use non-deployment dollars.

Jake Neenan

Dec 2, 2025 — 2 min read

Photo of National Telecommunications and Information Administrator Arielle Roth on Tuesday

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2, 2025 – The National Telecommunications and Information Administration on Tuesday approved nine more state spending plans under its $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, bringing the total to 26 states.

NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth said the agency was “operating under the assumption that the states will get to use their BEAD savings. But again, nothing has been finalized.”

Roth made the remarks at a Free State Foundation event here, and said that the agency expects states and territories to collectively come in $21 billion under budget. The agency would have “much more to share” on how they could use that money in early 2026.

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BEAD Arielle Roth FSF Howard Lutnick Deb Fischer Shelley Moore Capito Arizona Colorado Indiana Michigan Nebraska New Jersey Ohio South Dakota Wisconsin NTIA