Disruption

States scramble to adjust broadband plans as Trump admin rewrites rules

Most are nearing the final stages of a years-long process to secure their BEAD program allocations.
Travis Sheetz, a worker with the Mason County (Wash.) Public Utility District, installs fiber optic cable on a utility pole, Aug. 4, 2021, near Belfair, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, file)

State broadband offices are scrambling as the Trump administration overhauls a Biden-era program designed to connect all Americans to high-speed internet.

The tumult comes as most states are nearing the final stages of a years-long process to secure their allocations under the $42.5 billion Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment program, also known as BEAD.

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