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Commerce outlines broadband spending: $35M state fund partly obligated, $120M capital projects and $580M BEAD program underway
Summary
The Department of Commerce told JFAC it has obligated most of a $35 million state broadband fund, is deploying $120 million in federal capital projects across 18 projects, and is preparing to allocate Idaho’s share of the $580 million BEAD program through pre-qualification and application rounds.
The Idaho Department of Commerce briefed the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Oct. 12 about broadband programs and how state and federal funds are being allocated to expand service in unserved and underserved areas.
Analysts said the department now manages multiple broadband funding streams: a $35 million Idaho Broadband Fund, a $120 million capital projects fund funded through ARPA, and Idaho’s portion of the federal BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) program, which the department described as a roughly $580 million federal program for Idaho. The Commerce presentation emphasized that much of the ARPA capital projects funding is already contracted to projects that aim to connect tens of thousands of homes and businesses.
Brooke Dupree, a Legislative Services Office…
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