Non-Deployment Funds Unlikely to be Clawed Back, Experts Say

Nearly half of the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program’s funding won’t be used for broadband deployment projects, partly a result of new Trump Administration rules aimed at cost-cutting. When those new rules were instituted in June 2025, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) rescinded approval for any non-deployment activities, something state broadband offices had been planning on pursuing. Fiber Broadband Association CEO Gary Bolton and Pew Charitable Trusts' Broadband Access Initiative Director Kathryn de Wit said they’re optimistic that states will ultimately see their non-deployment money, even if it’s not yet clear exactly how they’ll be able to use it.