Broadband Equity, Access, And Deployment (BEAD) Program
The Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program (BEAD) Program, funded by the IIJA, is a $42.45 billion federal grant program that aims to connect every American to high-speed internet by funding partnerships to build infrastructure. In June 2023, NTIA announced allocation amounts for all 56 states and territories. States and territories can use their allocated funds for these eligible uses:
- Planning for the deployment of high-speed internet, including conducting research, collecting data, outreach, and training
- Deploying or upgrading internet infrastructure in unserved or underserved areas, or improving service to community anchor institutions
- Installing internet and Wi-Fi service in multi-unit residential buildings
- Internet access, adoption and use programs
- Workforce readiness programs to meet the needs of the infrastructure programs
- Other activities that increase meaningful use of constructed infrastructure, at the discretion of the Assistant Secretary
BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice Released
NTIA has issued a Policy Notice instituting reforms to the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.
Click here for the most up-to-date information on the BEAD program.
Related content
Biden-Harris Administration Awards Nearly $1.4 Million to American Samoa in ‘Internet for All’ Planning Grants
WASHINGTON – The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that American Samoa received planning grants for deploying high-speed Internet service networks and developing digital skills training programs under the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative.
Making Internet for All Right Here in America
FEBRUARY 9, 2023
The Internet for All initiative is a critical component of the Biden-Harris Administration’s overall strategy to build a more dynamic economy. It will enable American workers and businesses to compete on the global stage and generate new economic opportunities in overlooked communities throughout the country. Internet for All will create as many as 150,000 jobs nationwide – but to maximize the economic potential of this initiative, manufacturers and Internet service providers will need to build right here in America.
As President Biden said in his State of the Union Address this week, “[w]e’re making sure that every community has access to affordable, high-speed Internet...And when we do these projects, we’re going to Buy American.” The president made clear that while Buy America has been the law of the land since 1933, too many administrations have found ways to skirt its requirements.
We will not.
The iron and steel, manufactured products, and construction materials needed to deliver affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service to millions of Americans is an opportunity to create jobs and opportunities right here in America. That’s why NTIA believes that if it can be Made in America, it should be made in America – and it’s why we’ll strictly enforce ‘Build America, Buy America’ (BABA) requirements outlined in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Internet for All Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs).
A $300 million down payment on Internet For All
NTIA ended 2022 by awarding $304 million in funding to every state, along with Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, for planning how to best deploy networks to connect everyone in America to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service.
States are set to receive a historic influx of funding to expand high-speed Internet service thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The planning grants awarded in 2022 are down payments so the states can prepare to use the coming billions in broadband funding effectively.
Each state has different needs and unique challenges in bridging the digital divide, and our planning grants recognize the importance of flexibility. Still, there are broad trends driving the ways states are putting this money to use.