New BEAD map reveals regional insights about broadband expansion
Bowling Green, Ky. (November 18, 2025) - Connected Nation’s BEAD Tracker has illuminated many important insights from states’ Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program Final Proposals. While the data will continue to change as states work with the National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA) to refine their plans, understanding trends in the information states initially proposed can help discern how state broadband offices are prioritizing investments and addressing local challenges.
The BEAD Tracker map uses shading to provide an intuitive view of how states compare on key program metrics. The map groups states into five quintiles based on the distribution of those program metrics, allowing quick visual comparison. This classification and visualization scheme helps reveal the diverse strategies states have adopted to connect unserved areas.
Average cost per location
Some of the states with the most expensive costs per location (on average) come from outside the contiguous United States. Alaska ($17,366) and Hawaii ($13,487) have higher average costs per location in part because of the challenges in getting labor and supplies to those locations. Other states with higher average costs include West Virginia ($8,467), New Mexico ($9,981), and Vermont ($7,853), likely resulting from the geographic constraints of mountainous terrain and the complexity of extending wireline infrastructure in these areas.
Technology mix
States vary considerably with respect to their distribution of technology types across projects. The states proposing the highest percentage of fiber locations are largely in the eastern half of the country. Apart from North Dakota (a clear outlier, at 92.7%), Arizona proposed the most fiber deployment in the west, at 73.7% of locations. Meanwhile, most states in the Eastern United States will spend BEAD dollars to serve at least 50% of the eligible locations with fiber broadband. Outliers include Massachusetts (where 22.6% of eligible locations will be served by fiber), New York (30.7%), and Maryland (30.2%).
The Great Plains states stand out for their greater reliance on fixed wireless technologies. This includes Kansas (50.8%), Nebraska (37.8%), Iowa (40.7%), and Wyoming (26.4%). Meanwhile, the New England and Southeastern regions – excluding Florida – tend to exhibit the lowest shares of fixed wireless locations.
As for low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet, many states with the highest percentages of locations are in the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest. This includes Montana (65.2% of locations), Oregon (45.8%), and Colorado (49.6%). States with the lowest share of LEO locations are scattered across the country, suggesting more localized adoption strategies.
Allocation used
While some states managed to cover 100% of unserved locations using a fraction of their allotted budget, other states utilized a greater share. Illinois spent the largest share of its allocation, at 95.2% of funds, followed by Oregon at 90.1%. Higher levels of fund utilization are especially concentrated in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana) and the Great Lakes region (Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan).
In contrast, aside from Vermont, all New England states managed to spend less than 20% of their allocated funds. This likely reflects their smaller number of unserved locations and comparatively robust preexisting broadband infrastructure.
Remaining funds
As for the total remaining funds, most of the states with substantial cash left are in the South. This includes Texas (just over $2 billion remaining), North Carolina ($1.2 billion left), Georgia ($1 billion), and Missouri ($944 million). These remaining balances do not necessarily reflect under-utilization of their allocated funds; rather, they reflect that these states received higher total allocations than other states, relative to the size of their unserved populations.
Meanwhile, other states with lower remaining funds can attribute their status to how much of their allocation was spent. For example, Illinois received a large allocation of just over $1 billion, but because it spent over 95% of the funds, the state has only about $50 million remaining.
Looking ahead
As states refine their BEAD plans in collaboration with the NTIA, these trends will continue to evolve, likely resulting in more LEO satellite locations. However, the patterns illustrated by states’ Final Proposals point to some key takeaways: terrain and geography remain important cost drivers, regional technology preferences are shaping deployment strategies, and state-level fiscal approaches vary widely depending on broadband maturity and infrastructure gaps.
Connected Nation’s BEAD Tracker mapping tool provides a valuable lens for understanding how these dynamics unfold. Tracking these metrics is essential for transparency and accountability, considering the program is funded by public dollars. By tracking how states allocate and deploy their allotted resources, both stakeholders and the public at large can discern whether these investments are being used effectively to close the Digital Divide and deliver lasting infrastructure improvements across the country.
To visit the BEAD Tracker, click here.
Previous Connected Nation BEAD articles:
- Sharing broadband progress with rural America: Inside CN’s BEAD tracker
- A dashboard for the digital highway: How the BEAD Tracker speeds up broadband insights
- The BEAD scoreboard reveal begins
About the Author: David Nunnally is the Connected Nation Research Analyst. David is responsible for using qualitative and quantitative techniques to interpret survey data, in addition to collecting data from secondary sources to help support those findings. David works with internal and external stakeholders to help develop research and provide critical information in support of the Connected Nation mission.