Fiber for Breakfast: Beyond the Build: The Future of State Broadband 

Fiber for Breakfast: Beyond the Build: The Future of State Broadband 

For the last several years, state broadband offices have been focused on one thing primarily: getting major federal broadband programs planned, approved, and moving. But eventually, those grants will wind down, and the question becomes what happens to the offices, expertise, and relationships built around them when they do. 

This week’s Fiber for Breakfast focused on that next phase. Gary sat down with Revati Prasad, Executive Director of the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, to discuss new research with state broadband offices and smaller, regional ISPs about what BEAD implementation has actually looked like and what may be left when the current wave of funding is over.  

One thing came through quickly. State broadband directors have spent years adapting to changing rules, timelines, and requirements, and many are now entering the hardest part of the work just as broader attention is starting to move elsewhere. Prasad summed up the feelings of the state broadband directors simply, “they just want to get it done.” That does not mean the program will not make a difference. State broadband offices broadly expect BEAD to improve connectivity in meaningful ways, but many also expect some cleanup afterward, whether because of mapping discrepancies, providers walking away, changing market conditions, or locations that remain difficult to serve.  

That is where the future of state broadband offices becomes important. These offices vary widely. Some have only a few employees, while others have much larger teams. Some handle mapping, engineering, and technical review internally, while others rely more heavily on contractors. But through BEAD and other federal programs, they have developed relationships with providers, local governments, and communities, along with a much deeper understanding of what is happening on the ground.  

And that work does not simply disappear when the grants do. Prasad pointed to responsibilities such as maintaining broadband maps, monitoring funded networks, responding when providers leave markets, accounting for new housing and development, and dealing with infrastructure damaged by natural disasters. Some states may also continue playing a role in affordability and digital opportunity, while others may decide those responsibilities belong somewhere else in state government.  

The provider research adds another layer. Benton’s focus groups with smaller and regional ISPs found that many have been trying to build through a market that kept changing while BEAD moved forward. Permitting, workforce constraints, supply chain issues, costs, and competition all affected the economics of projects over time. For those providers, the relationship with the state broadband office can matter a lot. Prasad said flexibility around changing locations, reimbursement, project milestones, and other practical issues can make the difference between a project remaining workable or no longer making sense.  

The research also highlighted something harder to measure. Smaller providers often bring local knowledge that does not show up in a broadband map or grant scorecard. They know local permitting officials. They know the roads and communities. Their technicians may live nearby and help customers with everything from setting up routers to understanding how to avoid online scams. As Prasad explained, “Their kids go to the same schools.” That local connection matters, especially in rural communities where deployment, adoption, and customer support are often tied together.  

What comes through is that broadband does not end when construction does. Networks must be monitored. Maps must stay current. Markets change. Providers come and go. Communities grow. New gaps appear. BEAD is helping address many of the broadband gaps that exist today, but the next question is whether states retain enough knowledge, capacity, and flexibility to deal with the ones that come next. 

Click here to watch the full interview.  

Click here to download the slides.