In early January, the Arkansas State Broadband Office opened its first application round for the state’s ~$1 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. That phase has now closed, after receiving an overwhelming response. 98% of the state’s designated unserved and underserved locations received at least one bid, with 96% of the applications deemed competitive. Arkansas now moves to the adjudication phase of its first BEAD funding round (tranche).
According to a LinkedIn post from Glen Howie, director of the Arkansas State Broadband Office, 814 applications were submitted in Tranche-1, with 96% deemed competitive, and 92% receiving at least one bid. The state has been allocated $1 billion in BEAD funding to expand broadband access, particularly in rural and underserved areas. A total of 48 ISPs participated, including 29 in-state and 19 out-of-state providers.
From here, The State Broadband Office will evaluate and finalize all first-round applications, which will take at least three weeks, before launching the second bidding phase (Tranche-2), slated for February 13. With Arkansas’ phased approach, initial selections will be disclosed in the coming months. The state is required to submit a final proposal to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) by October, detailing all grant allocations under the program.
Some Arkansas BEAD Locations Remain Unclaimed
In spite of Tranche-1’s response, some locations received no bids. As Arkansas moves into its scoring and adjudication phase for this round, officials will need to determine how to address these areas. The state may need to provide incentives to ISPs that take on locations that did not receive bids.
“Depending on the analysis of Tranche-1 inputs, we may adjust reference prices upward in Tranche-2, which could create more demand, if needed,” Howie explained in a statement to Broadband Breakfast. Adjusting reference prices—the benchmarks used for funding allocations—could make previously unclaimed locations more attractive to ISPs.
Moving Forward
With the adjudication process underway, Arkansas broadband officials are evaluating bids, as are many states like Louisiana, ensuring that providers meet funding criteria, and determining any necessary adjustments before launching the next round. Results from Tranche-1 are expected in the coming weeks.
Follow Us for More Updates about BEAD
Brander Group is tracking the $42 Billion BEAD program and state awards on its BEAD Progress Dashboard. An overview of the program is here. We will continue to publish news about the program in 2025, as goes through the bidding and grant award phase.
