The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program stands at the center of the federal government’s strategic effort to close the digital divide across the United States. Administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), BEAD allocates over $42 billion to expand high-speed internet access, particularly targeting unserved and underserved communities where connectivity remains out of reach.
While a large portion of BEAD funding supports physical network deployment, a critical share—known as non-deployment funds—is earmarked for initiatives that don't involve building infrastructure. These include programs in digital skills training, workforce development, device affordability, and inclusive broadband adoption strategies.
This article unpacks who manages these non-deployment dollars, the mechanics behind how resources are allocated, and the measurable outcomes for communities and regional economies. Who decides where the money goes? How are priorities set? And what impact does this spending make beyond fiber optics and towers? Let’s dig into the details.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), housed within the U.S. Department of Commerce, holds the lead federal role in broadband policy. It manages the nation's spectrum resources, advises the President on telecommunications issues, and leads key programs to expand high-speed internet access across the country.
Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Congress designated the NTIA as the principal administrator of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. It governs the $42.45 billion initiative aimed at closing the digital divide by funding broadband infrastructure, mapping, and digital inclusion efforts. The NTIA's congressional mandate grants it the decision-making authority to define program priorities, eligibility criteria, and compliance metrics.
The NTIA issued the foundational BEAD Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) in May 2022, setting the policy framework. This document stipulates how funds should be spent, the required process for state-level planning and applications, and the eligible uses—including both deployment and non-deployment categories. The NTIA did not leave these definitions open-ended. Instead, it provided detailed guidelines, specifying key concepts such as eligible locations, underserved areas, and workforce development programs.
Through this oversight, the NTIA does not merely distribute funding; it directs strategy. States and territories must submit Five-Year Action Plans and Initial Proposals for NTIA review and approval before unlocking full funding. Every major expenditure flows through policy architecture built by the NTIA’s Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth (OICG).
Guiding a national initiative of this scale requires seamless coordination between federal and sub-federal bodies. The NTIA communicates regularly with state broadband offices, Tribal governments, and regional authorities to ensure consistent priorities and execution. Through technical assistance, webinars, written FAQs, and policy workshops, the NTIA maintains continuous engagement.
This collaborative model aims to align federal objectives—such as prioritizing unserved areas and promoting affordability—with local decision-making. The NTIA also synchronizes its BEAD efforts with other federal agencies, including the FCC, USDA, and Treasury, to avoid funding duplication and generate comprehensive solutions.
States operate within a framework sculpted and monitored by the NTIA. While they control the dollars on the ground, the boundaries—and much of the playbook—originate at the federal level. The NTIA’s role is not just administrative; it is strategic, regulatory, and formative at every point in the BEAD program’s design and function.
Decision-making power over Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) non-deployment funds doesn’t rest solely with federal authorities. In practice, each state and territory’s broadband office assumes the central role in planning, allocating, and coordinating these funds. Their leadership shapes both the strategy and execution of non-deployment investments.
State and territory broadband offices serve as the principal architects of BEAD initiatives. They are responsible for developing the Five-Year Action Plans and submitting Initial and Final Proposals that determine how both deployment and non-deployment funds will be distributed. These documents establish the state's broadband priorities, identify underserved communities, and delineate strategies for workforce, affordability, and digital literacy programs.
Once a state submits its Initial Proposal, the NTIA reviews it for alignment with federal guidelines. Only after receiving approval can a state access its allocated BEAD funds. Final Proposals follow with more precise project plans, budget frameworks, and implementation timelines. This two-tier approval process gives states the space to design region-specific approaches but within a federally structured framework.
Developing effective non-deployment strategies requires more than administrative planning. Each broadband office is required to facilitate deep coordination across community sectors. This includes:
States organize listening sessions, issue formal Requests for Information (RFIs), and run collaborative planning workshops to gather this input. In doing so, they ensure that non-deployment efforts are community-driven and tailored to real-world barriers to adoption and use.
Final authority over how non-deployment funds are used—ranging from grants to libraries for digital literacy training, to support for local nonprofit digital navigators—rests with each individual broadband office. These decisions are based on quantifiable needs assessments, stakeholder feedback, and the strategic directives outlined in the Five-Year Action Plan. Offices prioritize initiatives that offer measurable impact on broadband adoption rates and long-term digital equity outcomes.
Control of these resources, coupled with detailed planning and evaluation protocols, makes each state and territory a powerful agent in determining how the BEAD program helps bridge the digital divide—not just through infrastructure, but through human-centered initiatives as well.
BEAD funding extends far beyond building fiber optic cables or erecting wireless towers. The legislation behind the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, authorized through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), consciously allocated resources to cover a wider strategy. These “non-deployment” uses support activities and initiatives that ensure broadband access grows equitably, sustainably, and with measurable community impact.
States can allocate BEAD funds to digital equity programs that address disparities in broadband adoption caused by income level, age, disability, language barriers, and other systemic factors. This includes:
Under this category, states often partner with community-based nonprofits, libraries, and educational institutions to deliver hands-on support that translates access into meaningful use.
Access to service means little without access to devices. The BEAD program permits states to invest in equipment access or device lending programs, particularly for public-serving institutions. This includes:
Efforts like these often tie directly into adoption rates. According to Pew Research Center data from 2021, 24% of adults without home broadband cited affordability of devices as a barrier to getting online.
Developing a skilled labor force is a key non-deployment initiative. States can dedicate BEAD funding to expand the number of certified line technicians, journeymen, and fiber splicers, among other roles. Programs may include:
These workforce programs directly complement physical buildouts by ensuring projects stay on schedule and by creating long-term capacity for network maintenance and growth.
Strategic planning uses of BEAD funds lay the groundwork for deployment. Eligible expenses include:
These activities help ensure that infrastructure investments are both efficient and targeted, reducing duplicated efforts and maximizing impact.
Building trust and awareness plays a defining role in broadband adoption. States are allowed to fund:
Effective outreach ensures that deployment aligns with real-world needs and that residents are aware of available resources once broadband access becomes available.
The U.S. Department of Commerce allows BEAD funds to support cybersecurity upgrades, especially within public-serving networks such as those in schools and libraries. Eligible improvements include:
With attacks on public infrastructure rising sharply—K-12 schools reported a 60% increase in ransomware attacks between 2021 and 2022, according to Emsisoft—these measures represent an essential pillar of digital resilience.
Every state receiving BEAD funds develops its allocation strategy through a structured process that prioritizes direct input from communities. This begins with detailed community needs assessments—quantitative and qualitative analyses that identify gaps beyond broadband infrastructure, such as affordability, device accessibility, and digital skill levels.
Public-private partnerships frequently play a pivotal role in shaping these assessments. States gather insights from internet service providers, local NGOs, educational institutions, and workforce organizations. This collaboration ensures priorities are not formed in isolation but reflect real-world challenges and innovation opportunities.
Geospatial data and socio-demographic mapping heavily influence how states allocate funds. Regional broadband availability reports, Census data on rural vs. urban population distribution, and metrics on household income levels and educational attainment feed into the decision matrix.
This data-driven targeting ensures funds address not only infrastructure shortfalls but also barriers to adoption and usage.
Three dimensions consistently influence how non-deployment funds flow within states:
This alignment enables funding decisions that directly support long-term economic and social impact.
States operationalize their plans by issuing subgrants and contracts to eligible entities. These can include:
States maintain control over outcomes by attaching performance metrics and delivery timelines to each contract or subgrant. This ensures that project execution aligns with strategic goals and measurable equity outcomes.
BEAD funding divides into two foundational categories—deployment and non-deployment. Deployment refers to infrastructure-specific investments, including fiber installation, fixed wireless systems, network hubs, and broadband towers. These are physical assets placed to expand connectivity in unserved or underserved areas. Non-deployment, in contrast, covers activities that enable broadband use, digital literacy, affordability, cybersecurity readiness, and local workforce development.
The NTIA defines deployment costs under 47 U.S.C. 1702(a)(1), while non-deployment costs qualify as permissible if they fall under permissible uses in 47 U.S.C. 1702(e)(1). Each state must designate a minimum portion of subgrants toward infrastructure, but the BEAD NOFO explicitly supports broader uses beyond physical construction.
Building networks alone does not guarantee broadband adoption. Historical data underlines this gap. A 2021 Pew Research Center survey shows that although 77% of adults in the U.S. have home broadband, the rate falls below 60% for households earning under $30,000. Even in neighborhoods where broadband infrastructure exists, affordability, digital literacy, and device access deter consistent usage.
Thus, funding digital equity programs, subsidy mechanisms, and public education resources directly impacts uptake. Non-deployment investments help eliminate second-level barriers. For example, subsidizing monthly service plans or distributing laptops through local initiatives directly addresses household connectivity challenges, especially among marginalized populations.
Non-deployment-based funding creates systemic benefits that ripple through communities. For schools, increasing students’ digital skills and providing families with connectivity ensures educational continuity at home. In healthcare, connected patients access telemedicine, improving outcomes in rural and underserved regions. Digital competencies among job seekers reduce structural unemployment by opening access to remote or digital-based work.
Non-deployment priorities stimulate long-term economic advancement. The Brookings Institution reported in 2022 that increasing broadband adoption by 10 percentage points in rural areas could add $16 billion annually to the U.S. economy through productivity boosts and employment growth. Inclusive internet use propels local innovation, public service efficiency, and entrepreneurship—benefits unachievable through infrastructure alone.
States that engage communities and invest early in digital readiness will not only close access gaps but transform them into economic growth centers. With BEAD offering flexible non-deployment pathways, those choices will define the difference between coverage and participation. Which side does your state fall on?
Non-deployment funds under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program are powering hyper-local solutions that go beyond infrastructure. These projects reinforce digital equity by building skills, enabling connectivity in shared spaces, and supplying essential tools to communities left behind by commercial broadband markets.
Several states use non-deployment allocations to fund hands-on training programs for fiber optic technicians. These localized workforce development efforts partner with community colleges or trade associations. For example, a program in North Carolina awarded subgrants to technical schools for fiber splicing labs, instructor certifications, and paid internships.
Graduates from these programs not only gain career opportunities—it directly expands the state’s capacity to meet deployment goals by increasing the qualified labor force. In tight labor markets, this training pipeline removes a major bottleneck influencing broadband buildouts.
BEAD-supported initiatives frequently include public-facing digital literacy campaigns. In Detroit, a portion of BEAD non-deployment funding backs a coalition offering multilingual training for job seekers and older residents. Sessions cover device basics, online job application processes, video calling, cybersecurity, and accessing telehealth services.
Rather than being generic classes, these programs target specific user groups—like ESL parents needing to navigate digital school portals or gig workers learning mobile invoicing tools. The impact goes beyond participation rates; these skills translate directly into improved life outcomes.
In many rural counties, public school districts and nonprofit partners are launching device access programs with non-deployment funds. Take West Virginia’s collaboration with local churches and food banks, coordinating distribution of refurbished laptops to households earning below a set income threshold.
These projects often bundle device grants with training and support hotlines. Instead of merely handing out equipment, the objective is long-term adoption and use. States track metrics like student homework completion, reductions in tech-related absenteeism, and digital communication between families and educators.
Fixed-location Wi-Fi deployments are another major use of non-deployment dollars. Community centers, tribal offices, shelters, and transit hubs across states like New Mexico and Mississippi have expanded signal coverage using BEAD-funded access points.
These services benefit unconnected residents, particularly those unable to afford home internet or living in temporary housing. In many tribal and border communities, this public connectivity has become the default digital access point for job searching, applying for government assistance, and telehealth consultations.
Non-deployment projects function as the human infrastructure side of broadband equity. While fiber can reach a street, these programs help ensure someone in every home knows how to connect, owns a device that works, and has the digital fluency to participate fully in the economy and civic life.
The flexibility within BEAD allows each state to channel resources where they will drive meaningful impact—whether that means embedding tech mentors in community centers or scaling broadband tech certifications through high school vocational programs. Each project doesn’t just complement deployments; it multiplies their value.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) monitors high-level compliance with BEAD program guidelines, but day-to-day tracking of non-deployment fund use falls to state and territory broadband offices. These offices are required to establish internal controls and document every dollar allocated for digital equity, community engagement, workforce training, and related efforts that do not involve physical infrastructure deployment.
States must submit spending plans and project-level documentation during the Initial and Final Proposal phases. As projects move into implementation, they provide quarterly and annual expenditure reports to the NTIA, which aggregates this data to evaluate national compliance patterns.
The reporting cadence follows clearly defined intervals. Quarterly Performance Reports (QPRs) capture spending, milestones, and updated timelines. These reports include detailed breakdowns of financial outflows and must provide evidence of progress toward measurable outcomes. Additionally, Annual Compliance Reviews combine financial reports with narrative analyses, confirming that non-deployment funds meet original intent and address identified barriers to digital inclusion.
Accountability hinges not just on financial tracking but also on tangible community impact. NTIA and states evaluate non-deployment programs using a diverse set of metrics:
States implement layered oversight mechanisms to validate reporting and strengthen public accountability. Two instruments stand out:
Rather than relying solely on post-hoc assessments, several jurisdictions embed evaluation checkpoints throughout the life span of each project. This approach ensures compliance without stifling innovation, while preserving trust in the program’s integrity.
Allocating BEAD non-deployment funds comes with operational and strategic friction points that can obstruct intended program goals. Without strict oversight and well-defined frameworks, these funds lose alignment with core broadband development objectives.
One pressing issue involves the potential misuse or inefficient application of funds. For example, non-deployment initiatives—such as workforce development programs or digital literacy campaigns—may be scattered across multiple agencies with overlapping mandates. This fragmentation frequently leads to administrative overheads, duplicated efforts, and diluted impact. In 2023, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that such inefficiencies cost federal broadband programs hundreds of millions annually across all agencies.
There’s also the challenge of misaligned spending. When states design programs without ongoing community input, they risk channeling funds into solutions that don’t meet local digital equity needs. A digital skills course, for instance, doesn't generate meaningful outcomes if it targets demographics who already possess baseline digital competency, or if it's designed without language access in mind.
Accountability starts with structure. States that implement transparent public engagement mechanisms—town halls, open comment periods, advisory boards with local representation—build stronger alignment between funding and underserved populations. These systems also give community members a platform to influence decisions before funds are obligated, not after outcomes fall short.
Metrics also define accountability. By tying fund disbursement to measurable deliverables—such as participant graduation rates from digital skills programs, employment placement statistics in broadband-related jobs, or percentage increases in digital adoption—states convert subjective objectives into clear performance targets. For example, Colorado embedded milestone-based funding clauses into their digital literacy training grants under BEAD, ensuring that vendors receive payments only when training benchmarks are met.
Ultimately, rigorous tracking and public transparency drive cultural shifts in how non-deployment funds are utilized. Regular publication of outcomes dashboards and expenditure reports not only guard against waste but also demonstrate trustworthiness to both federal overseers and local residents. Want to know where your state’s money is going? Start by checking if an accessible metrics dashboard exists.
Control over non-deployment funds under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program is not just a matter of accounting—it sets the foundation for digital participation at every level of society. Where fiber runs and towers rise, access begins; but the services, education, and tools supported through non-deployment funds determine whether communities can thrive in that connected world.
When state broadband offices decide how to allocate non-deployment resources, they aren't just reviewing spreadsheets—they're rewriting the digital narrative for millions. These funds support essential programs like upskilling workers, securing devices for low-income families, and expanding public digital literacy efforts. The outcome is more than internet access. It's the ability to fully participate in education, telehealth, small business growth, civic life, and innovation.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) provides the framework, but state and territory broadband offices hold the real levers of transformation. Their leadership defines whether BEAD becomes a true catalyst—or just another infrastructure fund. With discretion over how up to 20% of program dollars are spent outside of physical buildouts, these offices direct investments into lasting human-scale impact.
Want to influence how these funds reshape your community?
Imagine a future where students in tribal areas access remote learning without barriers, rural entrepreneurs expand market reach through e-commerce, and seniors navigate telemedicine with ease. That future depends on how non-deployment dollars are guided today. BEAD isn't just infrastructure; it's a tool to reshape how every corner of the country engages in the digital age—equally, actively, and sustainably.
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