​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Created by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program offers $42.5 billion in the form of block grants to states for broadband deployment efforts. Since the program's creation, state broadband offices have been working closely with NTIA and other stakeholders to design plans to connect every unserved and underserved location across the country with reliable high-speed internet service. Despite progress toward implementation and final plan approvals, in March 2025 the Trump Administration paused BEAD to review the program and improve efficiencies. On June 6, 2025, NTIA released a Restructuring Policy Notice to modify, replace, and streamline certain requirements outlined in the BEAD Notice of Funding Opportunity.

In response to changes announced by NTIA on June 6, NRECA Broadband worked in partnership with allied member associations and broadband consultant Cartesian to develop resources to help state broadband offices navigate updated program policies. Co-ops are encouraged to share these resources with their state broadband offices an​d use them to support conversations with policymakers and state broadband directors.​​

In January 2026, NTIA made a last-minute addition to the BEAD program’s General Terms and Conditions directing state broadband offices to require BEAD subgrantees that own poles to adhere to FCC pole attachment rules, fees, timelines and regulations across the entirety of a pole owner's service territor​y—not just in BEAD-funded areas. NRECA Broadband has developed resources to assist co-ops in discussions with state broadband officials and in outreach to their members of Congress to urge the removal of the pole attachment language from the program’s terms. ​

Advocacy Resources on Pole Attachment Rules in​ BEAD General Terms and Conditions:

• BEAD Pole Attachment Requirement Advocacy Resource Kit (February 2026)
  
• Template Letter to Congress on BEAD Terms and Conditions (February 2026)​​​​
  

• NRECA Signed Letter to Secretary Lutnick​ (February 2026)​
  

​Assessment Guides​​:

• BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice: A Guide to Assessing Network Scalability Broadband Offices

• BEAD Scalability Framework – LEO Satellite Worked Example​
  

Webinar Recording:

• ​Cartesian ​Webi​nar: BEAD Assessment Guide​ Walk-Through​
  

Memos​:

• Making Sense of BEAD Rules for Unlicensed Fixed Wireless Projects: A Practical Guide for State Broadband Offices

• Making Sense of the BEAD Requirement to Determine an “Excessive” Location Cost: A Cost Model and a Business Case Based Approach (Excessive Cost Memo)

• Making Sense of the BEAD Priority Broadband Project Criteria and Requirements (Scalability Memo)

To assist co-ops in understanding NTIA's updated BEAD guidance, NRECA Broadband has provided both ​a high-level and more detailed summary of NTIA's updated policy no​tice below: ​

• ​NRECA F​acts​heet: BEAD Policy Notice Update (High-Level Summary)
  

• NRECA Factsheet: BEAD Summary​​