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DEED broadband office outlines BEAD, state grants and remaining coverage gaps
Summary
DEED's Office of Broadband Development briefed the House Ag Finance Committee on state and federal broadband programs, reporting tens of thousands of unserved and underserved locations and describing the BEAD application process, Border-to-Border grants, line-extension rounds and digital equity plans.
Bridging remaining gaps in rural broadband was the Office of Broadband Development's focus as the agency briefed the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee on federal BEAD funding, state grant programs and the Digital Equity Act.
"My name is Bridal Mackey and I serve as the Executive Director at the Office of Broadband Development at DEED," Mackey told the committee. She said state mapping from December 2024 showed roughly 143,000 households and businesses without access to 25/3 Mbps and about 189,000 without 100/20 Mbps; approximately 81,000 locations were BEAD-eligible under federal definitions.
Mackey described the state's suite of programs: the Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant (competitive cost-share…
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