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Program MilestoneAugust 28, 2026

All 56 BEAD plans now approved, states to spend $18.19B on deployment

With Illinois's approval, the Commerce Department has cleared every state and territory's BEAD spending plan, completing approval of all 56 plans nationwide. Together the approved plans cover 3.79 million locations and states/territories plan to spend $18.19 billion on deployment projects.

Award amount: $18.2B

What this means for BEAD compliance

All BEAD-participating ISPs and subgrantees nationwide, since every state and territory plan is now approved and states can proceed to subgrantee selection and award execution.

With all 56 plans approved, states will now move to finalize subgrantee selections and execute subgrant agreements, which triggers pre_award compliance obligations such as SCRM/covered-equipment certifications and environmental review readiness, followed by active_deployment obligations once agreements are signed. ISPs awaiting selection should ensure NEPA, Buy America, and cybersecurity documentation is prepared in advance, as states will move quickly to obligate the $18.19B in approved deployment funding. This milestone itself does not activate specific contractual compliance clocks for any named provider, but it signals imminent transition to award execution across all states.

Phase 2 · Award ReadinessSCRM-008ENV-001-6FIN-005-16

Analysis by BeadComply Compliance Intelligence, grounded in the BEAD requirements registry.

Read the source: Broadband Breakfast (BEAD coverage)

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