NTIA opens second round of BEAD broadband funding

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has announced a second round of funding under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. This supplemental deployment policy notice allows states, territories, and the District of Columbia to access additional funds to reach unserved locations that were missed during previous rounds.

These newly identified locations may have become eligible due to changes in Federal Communications Commission (FCC) broadband maps, defaults in other federal or state programs, or provider misreporting. NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth stated that this targeted use of funding aims to close the digital divide while protecting taxpayer dollars.

The program, originally part of the 2021 infrastructure package, has approximately $21 billion in remaining funds. While this new round focuses on reaching unserved areas, NTIA noted that guidance regarding other non-deployment uses for these savings will be addressed in future communications. Adhering to the new guidance is expected to add approximately nine months or more to the BEAD process.