The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved full initial proposals for Kansas, Nevada, and West Virginia for the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. These three states join Louisiana as the only states that have had their full initial BEAD proposals approved. Kansas will have access to $451.7 million; Nevada to $416.6 million; and West Virginia to $1.2 billion. The three states have one year to submit a final proposal that details the outcome of the BEAD subgrantee selection process and discusses how the state will ensure service to all unserved and underserved locations.
The BEAD program allocates funding to deploy or upgrade high-speed Internet networks to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service. Once the goal of deploying broadband to unserved areas is met, any remaining funding can be used on high-speed Internet adoption, training, and workforce development efforts, among other eligible uses.
