Benefit of the Bargain BEAD Proposals Roll In

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. BEAD’s "Benefit of the Bargain" application round presents new challenges for states and territories as they take another look at what locations to connect, which technologies to employ, and how much funding to use. States are releasing draft final proposals in droves, soliciting public comments before the plans go to NTIA for final review. In this series, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society offers glimpses at state BEAD plans and what they might mean for connecting everyone to broadband.