The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Idaho’s “Internet for All” initial proposal. This initiative aims to provide affordable and reliable internet access to under-served areas in the state. Idaho has received approximately $583 million from the Biden-Harris Administration to ensure all residents have internet access.
The Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program will identify people who qualify for funding to receive internet access. “In the year 2024, there is no one in this country that does not deserve to have access to the internet,” said Courtney Dozier, the deputy director for the BEAD program at the Department of Commerce’s NTIA. Once information is collected on who qualifies for the funding, a proposal will be sent in, and funding distribution will begin in about a year.
“We’ll start to see permitting happening and shovels in the ground,” Dozier said. “So we still got a tail on this program, but it’s still a really important milestone.”
Ramón Hobdey-Sánchez, Idaho Office of Broadband State Broadband Manager, emphasized that enhancing broadband infrastructure will support Governor Brad Little’s key goal of “creating an environment, economic, education, and otherwise, that promotes an atmosphere where our children and future generations not only are born and live here but want to stay.”
This move marks a significant step forward for Idaho in bridging the digital divide and ensuring equitable access to essential online resources. The NTIA has also approved the second volume of Arkansas’ initial proposal for the BEAD program.
This approval allows Arkansas to request more than $1 billion in funding and begin implementing its broadband infrastructure grant program. Volume 2 of the BEAD initial proposal outlines Arkansas’ strategies for operating its broadband infrastructure grant program, requirements for potential applicants, and nondeployment priorities. This document covers 16 requirements related to the BEAD program.
Arkansas broadband strategy and funding approval
Governor Sarah Sanders said, “Reliable internet coverage is becoming a necessity for Arkansans’ jobs, schools, and businesses, and closing the internet service gap is a major priority for my administration. Today’s announcement is a big step forward in our plans to address the issue.”
Arkansas plans to use any remaining funding, after meeting deployment goals, on high-speed internet adoption, training, and workforce development efforts.
Glen Howie, director of the Arkansas State Broadband Office, said, “Today’s announcement is a significant step forward in realizing our mission to connect the unconnected and empower all Arkansans to succeed in the 21st-century digital economy.”
However, a panel at the upcoming Broadband Nation Expo will discuss when BEAD funding will start flowing. Realistically, most early states may not issue money to subgrantees until fall 2025, with the majority of funds potentially not arriving until 2026. Jade Piros de Carvalho, VP of Broadband Advocacy and Partnerships with Bonfire and a moderator at the panel, stated, “I think what people want to hear about from state broadband directors is when the money is coming.”
States like Louisiana, Montana, West Virginia, Nevada, and Colorado are ahead of others, currently working on their subgrantee processes as part of Vol.
2, which they will submit to NTIA for approval. Following submission, there will be an unknown approval period, possibly taking around three months. “We’re hoping there will be shovels in the ground by late spring in Louisiana,” said de Carvalho.
However, other early states might not issue subgrantee money until fall 2025. The panel at Broadband Nation Expo may also address non-deployment funds—surplus funds that some states may have after completing their BEAD buildouts. These non-deployment funds can be used for digital equity, affordability programs, workforce development, and device assistance.
States will need to develop plans to spend their non-deployment funds.
