U.S. states and territories have until Sept. 4 to complete the next step in applying for Federal government broadband funding under the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.

The U.S. Commerce Department on Friday unveiled its revamps to the government’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, touting a new “tech-neutral” approach and tossing its previous fiber-centric efforts to the curb.

A group of 12 senators led by Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., is calling on the Trump administration to release funding for states under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.

While the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) National Broadband Maps spotlight underserved areas across the nation as Congress continues to funnel billions into improving internet connectivity – millions of Americans still aren’t seeing benefits of that funding due in part to the need for better mapping data and greater coordination across Federal agencies.   

Arielle Roth, the Trump administration’s pick to lead the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), pledged to implement Biden-era bipartisan broadband expansion plans while vowing not to favor White House advisor Elon Musk’s Starlink as part of that process.

With the help of Federal funding, Kansas is looking to invest $8.2 million in grants to help close the digital divide in the state.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has awarded Connecticut more than $9 million in Federal funding to implement the state’s Connecticut: Everyone Connected digital equity plan.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it has received more than 700 applications seeking $6.5 billion in funding for digital equity projects. NTIA noted that the total requested amount of funding is more than six times the available amount from the first round of the Digital Equity Act’s Competitive Grant Program funding. 

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced that the state will open applications for the National Telecommunications Information and Administration Internet for All initiative on Oct. 21.

Funding for high-speed internet initiatives received by Federal agencies totaled $64.3 billion with an additional $11.4 billion in infrastructure contracts during fiscal year (FY) 2022, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) 2023 Federal Broadband Funding Report.