States work to prepare for 'substantial' federal broadband funding; some are further along than others

Values are in millions of dollars. (Map by The Conversation US, CC-BY-ND, from NTIA data)

It has been two years in the making, but the federal government is about to funnel $42.5 billion for broadband to states as part of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program signed in 2021. "The program aims to ensure that broadband access is available throughout the country," writes Brian Whitacre for The Conversation, a journalism platform for academics. 

The awards are big, with 19 states receiving more than $1 billion, and the "average award across the 50 states is $817 million," Whitacre explains. Once federal money is sent to states, they can begin their internal contracting processes, which, from start to finish, will take several years. "States are also in something of a race with one another: The first ones to the funding can get money to the private sector, which can begin hiring from the limited pool of technicians capable of installing fiber optic cables."

The BEAD program aims to connect an estimated 11.8 million locations, which includes "households and businesses, both rural and urban that are considered either unserved or underserved," Whitacre adds. "Each state's plans for how to get broadband service to those locations must be approved by the overseeing organization, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. States' initial proposals can be viewed online." Proposals must outline contingency and affordability planning.

(Map by The Conversation US, CC-BY-ND, from NTIA data)

To track each state's progress, the federal government recently released a dashboard, Whitacre writes. "The dashboard includes eight steps each state or territory must complete before getting the first 20% of its promised allocation. As of Nov. 15, 2023, most states had completed four of the process’s eight steps. Only three states – Louisiana, Nevada and Virginia – had finished six or more steps. Notably, Louisiana and Virginia had broadband offices up and running for at least three years prior to the passage of the infrastructure legislation in 2021."