Louisiana says final BEED approval held; state poised to start projects once Commerce releases funds
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Summary
Representative Buddy Carter and witnesses told the subcommittee Louisiana has an approved final BEED proposal for about $1.3 billion and is ready to begin construction, but Commerce Department hold-ups have delayed funding and project starts.
Representative Buddy Carter told the committee that Louisiana became "the first state in the nation to secure federal funding, federal funding approval for our plan to deploy $1,300,000,000 in broadband equity access and deployment or BEED funding." He said the state's plan would connect approximately 140,000 locations, award contracts to about 20 ISPs, and direct about 70 percent of funds to Louisiana companies.
Witnesses and members described Louisiana as a near-term test case. Carter and others said the Commerce Department had withheld the final funding approvals that would allow shovels to hit the ground. "This unexpected delay has stalled progress, frozen investments made by small Internet service providers and contractors, and left rural communities still waiting on the promise of broadband access," Carter said.
Why it matters: Several witnesses and lawmakers said states including Louisiana have completed the statutory steps in the BEED process and are prepared to deploy capital quickly. Industry witnesses said stopping or substantially reworking these state plans now would be costly and risk losing state and private investment.
State details cited at the hearing: Carter said Louisiana expects about 90 percent of award locations to move from zero connectivity to fiber in the state plan, an estimated 10,000 jobs, and $2–$3 billion in revenue for Louisiana companies. Sarah Morris confirmed that several states had progressed to final proposal approval and that NTIA had approved final proposals for three states; she told the committee those proposals were pending administrative steps.
What to watch: The committee did not vote or require immediate action at the hearing, but lawmakers from both parties urged either administrative approvals for final proposals or statutory clarifications that would allow states to proceed. Several members from other states said they shared Louisiana’s urgency.
Ending note: Louisiana’s case was presented as evidence that some states are prepared to begin BEED-funded construction immediately if the Commerce Department or NTIA clears final administrative steps.