When will the nation’s BEAD networks finally be completed?

States are working toward approvals that could help them soon begin building out their broadband networks with funds from the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program. Drew Garner, director of policy engagement at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, said this begins with getting plans approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a step 42 states and three territories have completed. Then states must gain approval from National Institute of Standards and Technology and begin selecting vendors, a step that so far only Louisiana has reached. It’s not yet clear when deployments will be complete or, when they are, how successful they’ll prove. One way to measure success, Garner said, is to look at the technologies being used. “Typically if you see a fiber connection, you can rest safe in that that is probably is going to be a very high quality connectivity that the household is receiving,” he said. “It’s a spectrum when it comes to the other technologies. Wireless may be great, it may not work. Satellite may be great, but in many cases if you have trees or hills or mountains or other buildings sort of obstructing your view of the sky, satellite may not work for those households.”