Broadband Expanded

A recent post from the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society declared, “Broadband Prices Increased in 2025.” But the data discussed in the piece tells a more nuanced and far less alarming story for consumers. According to the Federal Communications Commission Urban Rate Survey data cited by Benton, price declines were widespread across the plans most households actually use.

As detailed in updated guidance issued by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration in June, states have been racing to update their maps of eligible unserved and underserved locations ahead of the mandatory “Benefit of the Bargain” round for awarding Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment grants. This has required states to refine their maps to reflect:

The current total of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program-eligible locations is far lower than when the National Telecommunications and Information Administration first calculated BEAD funding allocations back in June 2023. While exact eligible locations lists are still subject to change as state broadband offices scramble to incorporate the “benefit of the bargain round," the number of eligible locations is lower—and in many cases, significantly so—than when BEAD funds were divvied up. This dramatic decrease in eligible locations will likely manifest in leftover deployment fund