NTIA Approves Missouri's Final BEAD Proposal; Louisiana Signs With ISPs
NTIA has signed off on Missouri's final BEAD proposal, Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) said Thursday. The $814 million spending plan will bring connectivity to more than 200,000 unserved and underserved locations across the state, he said. Missouri reported that 166,750 locations (82%) would be served by fiber connectivity, 23,378 by low earth orbit satellite, 11,494 by fixed wireless and 2,212 by coaxial cable. The state, which was allocated $1.7 billion under BEAD, noted that it's awaiting NTIA guidance on how it can use the remaining $900 million "for crucial investments in Missouri’s economic competitiveness."
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Also Thursday, the Louisiana Office of Broadband Development & Connectivity said it had signed BEAD grant agreements with ISPs, paving the way for deployment work to start in the coming weeks. NTIA approved Louisiana's final BEAD proposal in November (see 2511180007).
NTIA said it has approved 42 of 56 states' and territories' final proposals.