The NTIA has approved the last of the 56 state and territorial final proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, with Illinois completing the set in late August 2026. According to a Broadband Breakfast tally published August 28, the approved plans will spend about $18.19 billion on deployment to serve 3.79 million locations. By location, fiber accounts for 62.9%, low-earth-orbit satellite 21.9%, fixed wireless 13.3% and cable 1.9%. An estimated $22.5 billion in non-deployment funds remains, and NTIA has not confirmed a timeline for guidance on how it can be used.
For rural businesses, this sets the map for the next few years. Many unserved or underserved sites will get fiber, but roughly one in five funded locations is slated for satellite service, and NTIA asked states in July to reduce satellite awards. Some providers also backed out of awards, affecting at least 54,000 locations as of late June.
If you operate locations in rural areas, ask your state broadband office or your advisor which provider won the BEAD award for each address and what technology it will use. A fiber award may be worth waiting for before signing a long-term contract on a slower service, while a satellite award may mean you still need a second connection for critical applications. Ask the awarded provider about business-grade service options, not only residential plans.
Approval is not construction. Build schedules, provider changes and the fate of satellite awards are the items to watch through 2027.
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