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Program MilestoneAugust 28, 2026

NTIA approves final BEAD plans for all 56 states and territories after Illinois clears

With Illinois's approval this week, every state and territory's BEAD final proposal has now been cleared by NTIA. The approved plans cover 3.79 million locations and $18.19 billion in planned deployment spending, with fiber serving 62.9% of locations and satellite 21.9%.

Award amount: $18.2B

What this means for BEAD compliance

All BEAD-eligible ISPs and subgrantees nationwide, since every state and territory now has an NTIA-approved final proposal moving the program toward subgrantee agreement execution and construction.

With all 56 final proposals approved, states can now proceed to finalize subgrantee selection and execute award agreements, which will trigger active_deployment obligations for awarded ISPs including procurement, Buy America, environmental, cybersecurity/SCRM, and reporting requirements. Compliance officers at awarded ISPs should expect subgrant agreements to be executed in the coming months, starting clocks on NEPA-related environmental screening, non-federal cost share documentation, and NIST CSF-based cybersecurity control implementation. ISPs not yet under agreement should use this window to finalize internal control systems, procurement policies, and SCRM certifications ahead of award execution.

Phase 2 · Award ReadinessFIN-005-16SCRM-008ENV-001-6

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

Read the source: Broadband Breakfast (BEAD coverage)

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