Building on the Bargain: A Responsible Framework for BEAD’s Next Phase

Arkansas has shown what is possible when broadband policy is executed with discipline. Through a highly competitive process, our state secured deployment commitments for each of its 79,000 unserved locations using just over $300 million of its $1 billion BEAD allocation. The result is one of the most efficient broadband deployment programs in the country. That efficiency created something few expected at this scale – $650 million in BEAD funds available for broader investment. The question now is straightforward, and consequential: What comes after the deployment of universal last-mile access?