Broadband expansion on hold as feds miss self-imposed deadline to review Pennsylvania's spending plan

Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand broadband access in Pennsylvania through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program is still on hold, after federal officials failed to meet their self-imposed December 2025 deadline to review the commonwealth’s plan for spending the money. Without federal approval, Pennsylvania cannot finalize agreements with the companies that expect to receive the money, and they cannot begin construction. The cause of the delay is unclear. Pennsylvania submitted its plan on September 4. The federal government promised to review state plans within 90 days. But more than 120 days later, the commonwealth is still waiting.