NTIA Approves 18 Final BEAD Proposals
Final BEAD proposals from 18 states and territories have been approved, NTIA said Tuesday. They are Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. One of those, Louisiana, has signed the National Institute of Standards and Technology award amendment, letting the state start accessing BEAD funds, NTIA added.
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The 18 plans combined are costing $6 billion less than what had been allocated for them, NTIA said. "After stripping away burdensome rules and regulations and wasteful requirements, taxpayers will save billions in unnecessary costs while connecting those in need to high-speed broadband through the full spectrum of broadband technologies," Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said.
Onstage at an NTCA event Tuesday (see 2511180062), NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth said the 18 approvals put BEAD deployment “nearly a third of the way [to] crossing the finish line.” She told reporters outside the event that NTIA has been “laser-focused on completing the deployment portion of the BEAD program, but as we continue to release final proposals, we look forward to providing additional guidance on the BEAD savings.”
Veneeth Iyengar, executive director of Louisiana's Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity, said NTIA approval of the state's BEAD plan "marks a turning point for our state as we prepare to swiftly move from planning to construction and implementation in connecting underserved communities with high-speed internet." The agency said its proposal will connect roughly 140,000 locations across the state. Louisiana was allocated $1.36 billion in BEAD funding.
NTIA said 53 of the 56 states and territories have submitted final proposals. At least one of those remaining, California, apparently hasn't submitted at NTIA's request. The California Public Utilities Commission said on its BEAD subgrantee selection website that NTIA on Nov. 5 "instructed the CPUC to delay publishing its Final Proposal for public comment."
Asked about California’s BEAD proposal, Roth’s chief of staff, Brooke Donilon, said the proposal included excessive costs. “We asked them to go back to the drawing board and rework a few of those areas, which they've done, and I think they'll be posting very soon.”
The CPUC is scheduled to vote Thursday on a proposal to submit its final BEAD plan to NTIA. The agency said it must be submitted by Nov. 21 to secure the $1.86 billion that has been allocated to California.
U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., wrote Tuesday on social media that NTIA's approval "is welcome news." The state's BEAD proposal "has immense potential to bridge the digital divide, deliver high-speed internet and usher in a new era for rural communities in Virginia."
Maine Connectivity Authority President Andrew Butcher said it's “a big moment to be able to provide nearly 22,000 homes and businesses access to high-speed internet.” Maine was allocated $272 million for BEAD, and the state said its final proposal requested $48.4 million in federal funding, which will be complemented by $109 million in matching funds from subgrantees.
Scott Woods, president of public-private partnerships at Ready.net, wrote that final proposals still need sign-off from NIST, the grants and financial management office for BEAD, before the states and territories can access the money. He said grant funds will likely be released around year-end and early Q1 2026.