Drew Garner

Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program draft final proposals continue to pour in as each state prepares to submit its final plans to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Each state is deciding how to connect its un- and underserved locations in what is called the Benefit of the Bargain application round. Today's edition of this series covers ten more states' draft final proposals.

Following a June 6 announcement from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that restructured the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, all states and territories have been tasked with reevaluating their plans to connect un- and underserved locations to high-speed internet.

On August 19, 2025, West Virginia released its revised Final Proposal for the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The West Virginia Office of Broadband recommends awarding $625 million in BEAD funding to deploy broadband infrastructure to 73,701 eligible locations. Of those locations, 94.2 percent would be served by fiber to the premises and 5.8 percent by low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite.

Low Earth Orbit satellite internet service providers, like Starlink and (eventually) Amazon’s Kuiper, are poised to win big in the restructured Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program. That’s because the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s new policy notice, released June 6, makes two major changes that benefit LEO technologies.

On March 13, 2025, West Virginia was poised to achieve one of the greatest broadband successes in America. The state, which currently ranks last in broadband availability, had crafted a plan that would connect every West Virginian home and business to fast, reliable internet service by the end of the decade.

On Friday, May 9, 2025, the Trump Administration began notifying states that their Digital Equity Act Capacity Grant funds were terminated. The day prior, President Donald Trump shared via Truth Social that he and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are determined to bring an end to the Digital Equity Act and its “unconstitutional” and “illegal” programs. In 2021, Congress included the Digital Equity Act in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to give U.S.

On May 8, President Trump announced on Truth Social that he is ending the Digital Equity Act, calling it unconstitutional, illegal, and racist. In fact, the opposite is true.

The Benton Institute, in partnership with Access Humboldt, Common Sense Media, EveryoneOn, the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, New America's Open Technology Institute, and Public Knowledge, submitted reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission regarding the In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete request for comments. The groups highlighted areas of consensus, agreement, and opposition based on review of the Delete, Delete, Delete docket.

On April 22, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration officially delayed the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program in a notice attributed to the “Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information” (a position currently held by an acting official).

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society joined Access Humboldt, Common Sense Media, Everyone On, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, National Digital Inclusion Alliance, and New America's Open Technology Institute (all members of the Lifeline Coalition*) in a filing in the Federal Communications Commission's RE: DELETE, DELETE, DELETE proceeding. With the expiration of the Affordable Connectivity Program, millions of households lost the support they relied on to access the internet.