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Nebraska Broadband Office explains BEED rollout, says federal funding is secure
Summary
Patrick Haggerty, director of the Nebraska Broadband Office, described creation of a distinct NDOT program to administer federal BEED deployment awards, outlined front‑loaded federal requests and said the office sees no current risk to federal funding.
Patrick Haggerty, director of the Nebraska Broadband Office, appeared before the Appropriations Committee to explain the office's budget request and the creation of program 562 within NDOT to separately account for broadband grant administration.
Haggerty said the Nebraska Broadband Office is "100% federally funded" and that the program request—including roughly $1.72 million in cash‑fund authority for FY2026 and nearly $140 million in federal funds for FY2026—are necessary to qualify for federal reimbursement and to support administration and subgrantee reimbursements.
He explained the Broadband Equity, Equity Access and Deployment (BEED) program timeline: an organizational application phase for prospective subgrantees was closing and a first round of project applications was scheduled to open the following Monday. The office anticipates multiple rounds (three were described) and said it expects shovel-ready construction to start in summer 2025.
Haggerty told senators the BEED allocation to Nebraska totals about $405 million and that roughly 60% of that is being requested this biennium with the remaining 40% requested in the next. He said the office's inventory identifies about 29,000 locations still unserved or underserved and that modeling indicates BEED funds can reach those locations.
On federal funding stability, Haggerty said the office "has been given no indication" that BEED funding is at risk and that the office has received many inquiries but has not seen federal guidance that would indicate cuts to the program.
Ending: The committee asked for clarifying numbers on cash fund requests and timing; Haggerty said the cash‑fund figures reflect the office's budget request and that the department will provide updated packet numbers if needed.
