- The core function of most state broadband officers for BEAD is grant management
- But the conditions underneath BEAD keep changing
- Maps lag, guidance changes, costs of supplies increase and trade relationships are in flux
According to interviews and research from the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society, state broadband officers (SBOs) are exhausted by the challenges and shifting dynamics of implementing the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.
Leaders from the Benton Institute have interviewed over 30 SBOs, so far, about what it is taking to implement BEAD. And Dr. Ravati Prasad of the Benton Institute talked about the takeaways from those conversations in a recent Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) webinar.
“The people who are in charge of overseeing this work are feeling exhausted,” said Prasad. “It's been a long haul, and more than one person said to us, ‘Just want to get it done.’ Their legislatures aren't exactly hostile to broadband; their governors aren't hostile to broadband. They're just not particularly interested in talking about it anymore.”
She said that makes it hard for the SBOs because attention is moving on just as they are entering what may be the hardest part — the implementation of BEAD projects.
Why are state broadband officers frustrated?
One of the core frustrations for SBOs is that although by statute, the responsibility of the program goes to the states, they feel like they haven't been able to exercise much discernment at multiple turns.
“This is not very surprising if you've been following the reporting about how tightly NTIA has held the reins of the program,” said Prasad. She mentioned such things as the overhaul of all the rules by the Trump administration in June 2025, demands to award bids to the cheapest technologies and unclear guidance about map discrepancies.
But given NTIA’s recent decision to allow the approximately $21 billion in left-over monies to be spent for further broadband deployment, SBOs should be able to achieve the goal of serving broadband in most areas.
Prasad said there’s considerable variation across the across state broadband offices with some staffed by only two people and others employing more than 20. Some do most of their work internally, while others contract out for technical functions like engineering reviews and mapping. The core function of most SBOs is grant management.
It’s unclear how state governments will treat their SBOs after all the BEAD money is disbursed. Will they retain full staffing, or reduce staff? “There is general, although not universal, agreement that states will need to retain some broadband capacity after the current deployment programs wind down,” said Prasad.
“The overriding feeling that we heard from state broadband offices was fatigue with the program and all its changes,” she said.
Just this week, Brandy Reitter, the executive director of the Colorado Broadband office since February 2022, stepped down after giving the agency two days’ notice.
Benton has also spoken with many service providers who have received BEAD awards. And Prasad said their relationship with the state broadband offices is “deeply consequential” because the conditions underneath these awards keep changing. Maps lag, guidance changes, costs of supplies increase and trade relationships are in flux. “As deployment proceeds, the locations that remain are likely to be the hardest and most expensive to serve,” said Prasad. “State broadband offices are going to need to be flexible.”
Or perhaps we should say: they’re going to need to continue to be flexible.
Read more about BEAD funding and state broadband offices on Fierce Network
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