Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program
The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program provides funding for broadband infrastructure and the preparation of a plan by each Eligible Entity (state) for how to achieve “Internet for All”. Federal BEAD program funding for broadband infrastructure deployment included a minimum of $100 million for each state. Allocations to each state above the initial funding were announced on June 26, 2023. Minnesota will receive a total of $651,839,368. The individual state amounts were calculated from the number of unserved locations (locations without reliable broadband service of at least 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload) within each state based on new maps that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) developed as well as the number of such locations in areas deemed to be high cost.
Additional information on the federal BEAD program is available on the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) website.