Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program

A report from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) covers the progress of six broadband grant programs administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). As of October 31, 2025, over $46.2 billion in grants has been awarded to support expanding broadband infrastructure. This is an increase of $2.4 million (0.01 percent) since our last status report. The six broadband grant programs have received a total of nearly $50 billion in appropriations since December 2020.

The industry and the press have been laser-focused on Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment grants for the last few years. It’s easy to forget that there are a lot of federal broadband grants that have been issued under other grant programs, many of which are facing completion deadlines.

The Department of Commerce immediately suspended regular agency operations. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will continue to perform critical activities during a lapse in appropriations: 1) managing the federal use of spectrum; and 2) promoting the stability and security of the Internet’s domain name system. During a lapse in appropriations, NTIA requires continuous and frequent engagement with defense and emergency management agencies to execute its role as the manager of federal spectrum.

Governor Laura Kelly (D-KS) announced that the Freestate Middle Mile Network, a program aimed to close digital gaps across the state, will officially break ground in June. The project is funded by a nearly $43 million federal grant from the National Telecommunication and Information Administration. The Freestate Network will allow providers to connect Kansas communities by enabling high-speed internet infrastructure for residents and businesses across Kansas. The project will focus on: 

On March 27, 2025, the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing to consider the confirmation of Arielle Roth, President Donald Trump's nominee for Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information. If confirmed as the Assistant Secretary and head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Roth would oversee $48.2 billion in broadband infrastructure and adoption funding Congress allocated through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

eX² Technology announced the agreement to deliver an approximate $43.2 million fiber optic middle mile network in Pima County (AZ). The open-access fiber optic network will enable high-speed, reliable internet access to support remote learning, telework, telehealth, and more while fostering digital equity and inclusion. As communities across the country wrestle with limited internet options, Pima County is taking the necessary steps to drive its future connectivity forward.

Seven planned gatherings of federal broadband grant recipients have been cancelled, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The agency manages several ongoing broadband grant programs totalling billions of dollars, including the Middle Mile program, Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, multiple digital equity programs, and others. The workshops were intended to help grant recipients navigate the administrative process and ensure builds were successful.

Howard Lutnick, a wealthy donor to President Trump who has been chosen to lead the Commerce Department, defended Mr. Trump’s plans to impose broad tariffs and said he would take a tough stance on technology sales to China during his Senate confirmation hearing. If confirmed, Lutnick would lead on trade policy and oversee a broad portfolio of government programs touching on business promotion, technology and science.

The Trump administration is spurring confusion as it seeks to implement a sweeping freeze of federal assistance, undermining laws Congress has enacted in recent years.

In an open letter, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. shared a summary of the progress the Biden-Harris administration made over the last four years. The focus of the letter is on economic recovery and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. A key tenet is President Biden's Investing in America agenda, which aimed to mobilize historic levels of  investments in the United States and revitalize U.S. infrastructure, including broadband internet access. Here is a look at President Biden's broadband accomplishments as he prepares to leave office.