States Receive NTIA Green Light to Relaunch BEAD Application Portals
Arkansas, Colorado, Michigan, and South Carolina to relaunch BEAD application round on Monday, July 7
WASHINGTON, July 2, 2025 – States have started receiving federal approval to relaunch their subgrantee selection processes under a compressed grant round of the $42.5 billion Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment program.
At least four states – Arkansas, Colorado, Michigan, and South Carolina – have announced they will relaunch their main application phase next Monday, July 7.
State broadband offices have been working around the clock to comply with a number of structural changes to the BEAD program announced by the Trump administration on June 6.
FROM SPEEDING BEAD SUMMIT
Panel 1: How Are States Thinking About Reasonable Costs Now?
Panel 2: Finding the State Versus Federal Balance in BEAD
Panel 3: Reacting to the New BEAD NOFO Guidance
Panel 4: Building, Maintaining and Adopting Digital Workforce Skills
Included in the BEAD restructuring policy notice issued by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration was the creation of the ‘Benefit of the Bargain’ round, updating how states and territories must carry out their subgrantee selection process for distributing funds.
The "Benefit of the Bargain" round compressed what previously had been a year-long process under the Biden administration into 90 days – forcing internet service providers to re-submit bids, and states to re-select subgrantees, on top of complying with a whole host of new guidelines and procedural steps.
Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had said the change was intended to ensure technological neutrality and give all providers a chance to bid, regardless of what kind of broadband technology they use.
Initial Proposal Correction letters due
However, states cannot move forward with the revised selection process until they receive NTIA approval on an updated Initial Proposal Correction letter. That requirement has already delayed at least one state: Virginia, which submitted its letter more than a week before receiving approval. After pressing NTIA, the state finally received clearance last Thursday and launched its new subgrant round the following day.
The four states that have set the start date for the ‘Benefit of the Bargain’ round for next Monday will hold office hours to help applicants navigate the new BEAD system.
In Arkansas, the ‘Benefit of the Bargain’ phase will run from July 7 through July 14, “ensuring that Arkansas stays on track to deliver broadband access to all unserved and underserved communities across the state," according to a release.
The Colorado Broadband Office will run a two-week application window. CBO will hold office hours on Mondays, July 7 and July 14, and Wednesdays, July 9 and July 16, to help prospective BEAD applicants in the state.
South Carolina’s application portal will remain open until July 24. Interested applicants were encouraged to pre-register for an informational webinar on July 8.
In Michigan, registration and application for the ‘Benefit of the Bargain’ round will run concurrently and are anticipated to open July 7, remaining open for 14 days. The Michigan High-Speed Internet Office will host office hours throughout those two weeks on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1-2 p.m. EDT beginning July 2.
