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Commerce details broadband funding pipeline, says BEAD prequalification opens and capital projects are under way
Summary
The Idaho Department of Commerce updated lawmakers on department operations and broadband programs. Officials said $35 million in state broadband funds and larger federal ARPA and IIJA allocations are being deployed, and Idaho’s BEAD program (federal) is moving from planning to prequalification and funding-application phases over the coming year.
The Idaho Department of Commerce briefed the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on FY2026 budget matters and the state’s broadband buildout strategy, including the department’s role implementing state and federal broadband funds.
Brooke Dupree, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, reviewed the department’s structure and budget trends; Director Tom Keeley and members of the Commerce leadership team described broadband projects and timelines and answered committee questions.
Dupree noted the department manages two budgeted programs (Commerce and the Broadband Office) and reported 48 FTPs overall (about 81% typically filled). The analyst traced major recent funding sources supporting broadband work: a $35 million state appropriation to the Idaho Broadband Fund (largely reappropriated into later fiscal years), approximately $124 million in ARPA…
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