NTIA opens new BEAD funding round to cover locations missed in original mapping

On September 3, 2026, NTIA released the BEAD Supplemental Deployment Policy Notice, allowing states to direct a portion of roughly $21 billion in program savings toward locations that remain unserved due to provider defaults, misreporting, or FCC broadband map changes since Final Proposals were approved. NTIA said the process, which it calls a location 'true-up,' will likely add nine months or more to the BEAD timeline, and highlighted Alaska as a preview case where more than 5,000 additional locations could become eligible.