White House announces $42.5B in broadband allocations

On June 26, 2023, the U.S. government announced allocations from the $42.45 Billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. These funds, allocated to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories, are intended to close the digital divide in the U.S., as funding will be used to deploy or upgrade broadband networks to ensure that everyone in the U.S. has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service.

The announcement included the amount that each recipient is due to receive. These amounts were based on a map from the FCC, which had been challenged by many potential recipients and revised accordingly. Nineteen states will receive at least $ 1 billion, according to an NTIA announcement. Texas received $3.3 billion, more than any other state; nineteen other states, including Alaska and Michigan, received between $1 and $2 billion. Seven recipients, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, received between $100 million and $160 million.

States, D.C., and territories (“eligible entities”) will receive their formal notice of allocation on June 30, 2023. They will have 180 days from the date of that formal notice to submit their initial proposals describing how they propose to run their grant programs. Eligible entities can begin submitting their initial proposals starting July 1, 2023. Once NTIA approves an initial proposal, which will occur on a rolling basis, eligible entities can request access to at least 20 percent of their allocated funds.