The Broadband Equity, Access, and Development (BEAD) Program gets most of the attention when experts prognosticate about the impact of investment in broadband networks and related initiatives. That’s understandable. After all, the program will provide funds to the tune of $42.45 billion. But, as big as the BEAD game is, it is not the only game in town, according to a study from Pew Charitable Trusts.
The study, entitled “The Role of State Broadband Policy in 2026,” found that state legislatures collectively passed more than 160 bills and resolutions related to broadband last year. Many of these involved regulatory changes aimed at expanding authority of broadband offices and addressed Internet affordability for low-income customers.
The study suggests that the importance of “balancing the dual needs” of BEAD and state-level initiatives will deepen as the uncertainty the Trump administration has brought to the federal program grows. It specifically mentions the possibility that some funding may be withheld from states that pass regulations on artificial intelligence.
The study suggested that progress is being made on two key barriers that state broadband offices found are obstacles to fulfilling program goals. The first is that states are trying to coordinate federal, state, local and private permitting processes. Efforts also are being made to increase the availability of trained workers.
Pew offered several examples: Last year, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana and West Virginia attempted to streamline the process by updating rules governing broadband construction. Texas and Kentucky approved funding for broadband training programs.
These efforts continue. “Several state legislatures are actively working on broadband issues in 2026,” Jake Varn, Pew’s Associate Manager for Broadband Access, wrote in the study that addressed state broadband offices and BEAD.
“This includes bills introduced in Maryland and Illinois to address affordability; proposals to change the regulatory landscape for providers in West Virginia; and an extension of Missouri’s broadband program, which is set to sunset in 2027.”
As the study noted, the rollout of the BEAD program has been rocky in several respects. An analysis released this week by The Advanced Communications Law and Policy Institute (ACLP) at New York Law School found that several small providers are set to receive tens of millions of dollars for expansions that will more than double their existing footprints — expansions these providers may have trouble managing.
