BEAD Awards vs. Allocations: Deep Dive on Benefit of the Bargain Results

Most states have released their recommended awards in the Benefit of the Bargain round in the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program. The total value of the award recommendations for those states is less than half of the initial allocations, according to a Telecompetitor analysis. The initial allocation for the first 45 states was about $32.8 billion. The total value of the award recommendations for the states is about $15.2 billion, or about 46 percent of the initial allocation. Changes to BEAD rules imposed in June are a key reason for the results. But other factors are at work as well. And of course, aggregate numbers only tell part of the story. It’s important to keep in mind that the states’ recommendations for BEAD awards are not final. The recommendations still must be approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is rumored to be seeking reductions to the award amounts.