96,000 Coloradans are expected to get connected

Trump admin's last-minute overhaul of BEAD funding resulted in millions less for Colorado, falls short of potential

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet welcomed the announcement that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved Colorado's proposal to invest more than $420 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program is the largest broadband investment in American history, and provides funding to build essential infrastructure and connect communities to high-speed internet.

However, the Trump administration delayed and overhauled the BEAD program, leaving millions of dollars on the table. Hickenlooper and Bennet recently led the Colorado Democratic delegation in a letter to the NTIA Administrator, supporting Colorado's application to retain its full allocation. They'll continue pressing for the rest of Colorado's allocation.

"We wrote the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to connect every American to high-speed, affordable, and reliable internet," said Hickenlooper. "This funding will unlock better access to health care, greater work opportunities, and more connected lives for thousands of Coloradans. We're disappointed that the millions of dollars in potential budget cuts to the program could leave behind thousands of families and small businesses."

"The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's BEAD program, based on my bipartisan BRIDGE Act, will bring high-speed internet to communities across Colorado, helping close the digital divide and ensuring every Coloradan can participate in the 21st century economy," said Bennet. "We must build upon this important funding announcement - I will continue pushing to ensure that the full $826 million allocation is made available to connect Coloradans to affordable, high-speed internet."

In 2023, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded $826 million in BEAD funding for Colorado. However, the Trump admin asked states to reapply for their funding and changed the program, resulting in half of Colorado's original award being left on the table.

Hickenlooper was part of the bipartisan group of 22 senators who negotiated and wrote the $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal, which authorized the BEAD program.

The BEAD program provides $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment, and adoption programs in all 50 states and territories. The program prioritizes unserved and underserved locations that have no or very slow internet access. In Colorado, 10 percent of locations are unserved or underserved, and 190,850 households lack access to the internet. For the most up-to-date information, please visit the Colorado Broadband Mapping Hub.

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