Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Brett Guthrie (2nd District Kentucky)
Washington, D.C. – Today, Chairman Brett Guthrie (KY-02) of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce issued the following statement following the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) approval of the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program proposal.
“Today marks a historic milestone in the efforts to get all Kentuckians connected to fast and reliable broadband. After years of burdensome requirements preventing the BEAD Program from connecting a single home, the NTIA just fully accepted Kentucky’s proposal, which will bring 86,400 unserved and underserved locations in the Commonwealth online,” said Chairman Guthrie. “This historic $376.9 million investment in our Commonwealth would not have been possible without the work of the Trump Administration to provide much-needed reform to the program, following outreach and engagement from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in Congress to streamline broadband permitting and ensure BEAD money is deployed quickly and efficiently across Kentucky and the nation.”
“Congratulations to Kentucky on the approval of its final BEAD proposal,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth. “The state’s disciplined approach—delivering significant savings, a strong technology mix, and robust skin in the game—truly exemplifies how the Benefit of the Bargain reforms have helped maximize the impact of taxpayer dollars while delivering universal connectivity to the Bluegrass State.”
Background:
– The BEAD Program was a $42.45 billion program established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to provide federal funding to connect every American to high-speed broadband.
– The NTIA worked with state broadband agencies to develop plans based on topline funding levels, with the NTIA having the authority to approve state plans.
–The Biden Administration’s unnecessary and burdensome requirements prevented the $42 billion program from connecting a single home, failing to deliver for our unserved and underserved communities.
– On June 6, 2025, President Trump’s NTIA released new guidance announcing the removal of these unnecessary burdens and required entities to run one more bidding round before submitting final proposals for approval.
– As Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Chairman Guthrie has worked with his colleagues on the Committee and NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth to reform the BEAD program through regulation and to advance legislation that streamlines the permitting process for the deployment of broadband nationwide.
The final Commonwealth of Kentucky BEAD proposal, approved by the NTIA, can be found here.
A map of awards for projects can be found here.