Senators Press NTIA on BEAD Non-Deployment Funds
States are still waiting for NTIA to clarify how they can use all BEAD funds
WASHINGTON Sept. 30, 2026 – A bipartisan group of senators is pressing the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to release long-delayed guidance on how states can use billions of dollars in Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment funds for activities beyond broadband construction.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, led a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and NTIA Assistant Secretary Arielle Roth urging the agency to provide guidance on BEAD’s non-deployment funding. The letter was also signed by Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, Bill Cassidy, R-La., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Mark Warner, D-Va.
“This is a worthy goal but one that can advance with a parallel effort providing non-deployment funding supporting the long-term success of broadband investments,” the senators wrote.
The push comes after the Trump administration last year rescinded previous NTIA guidance governing BEAD non-deployment activities. Commerce has not yet issued replacement guidance, leaving states uncertain about how they can use the portion of their BEAD allocations intended for those activities.
NTIA did provide some guidance on the remaining BEAD funds in September, announcing that states could use a portion of the money for a new round of deployment projects targeting locations that remain unserved. But the agency said guidance on other allowable uses of the remaining funds, including non-deployment activities, would come in a subsequent update.
About $21 billion in BEAD funding remains after states completed their broadband deployment proposals. The senators said the money is intended not only for network construction but also for activities that can help communities make use of those networks, including workforce development, telehealth connectivity and technical assistance for rural small businesses.
“Closing the digital divide requires not only broadband infrastructure investments, but also complementary efforts to support adoption and other activities that maximize the value of those investments,” the senators wrote.
Shaheen previously raised the issue with Lutnick during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in April. Lutnick said at the time that new guidance was expected within a couple of months. In June, Roth said the guidance would be released during the summer.
NTIA has since approved all 56 state and territory BEAD final proposals and announced an additional round of funding to address broadband locations that remain unserved. The senators said that effort should not delay the release of guidance for non-deployment funds.
“Non-deployment activities authorized under the BEAD Program are meant to complement efforts to expand broadband,” the senators wrote. “These investments will not only improve quality of life for millions of Americans, but also strengthen local economies, support businesses and enable communities to fully participate in the digital economy.”
The $42.45 billion BEAD program was created by the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law to expand high-speed broadband access. Shaheen and Collins were among the lawmakers who helped negotiate the broadband provisions in the legislation.
Shaheen said New Hampshire received $18.6 million for broadband deployment last year, with nearly $200 million remaining for non-deployment activities.
The senators urged NTIA to “promptly issue guidance” so states can begin using those funds.
