Policy

First states win approval for high-speed internet expansion funds

The $42.5 billion federal BEAD Program was established as part of the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.

Austin Jenkins

06:00 AM, Dec 02, 2025

In this Aug. 4, 2021, file photo, a worker with the Mason County (Wash.) Public Utility District pulls fiber optic cable off of a spool, as he works with a team to install broadband internet service to homes in a rural area surrounding Lake Christine near Belfair, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

The Trump administration has approved 17 states’ final proposals for spending federal money to expand access to high-speed internet.

The spigot is about to open for states two-and-a-half years after learning how much they could receive through the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, known as BEAD.

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