Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program
Created by President Joe Biden and funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program will expand high-speed internet access across the United States by providing funding for infrastructure deployment, planning, and adoption programs, aiming to connect underserved and unserved areas with reliable internet access. After a thorough planning and bidding process described in the timeline below, Delaware was the third state to have its Final Proposal approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on January 14, 2025 and anticipated secondary approval from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) would soon follow. This would allow construction by the selected ISPs and projects to address community internet needs to begin in spring of 2025. However, that approval did not come and in March, the new administration formally began a review of the BEAD program nationally.
On June 6, 2025, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued the BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice rescinding all prior approvals and directing significant program changes and re-bidding for BEAD contracts on a sharply abbreviated timeline. Delaware’s revised prequalification period ran from June 25, 2025 to July 5, 2025. Prequalified applicants were able to submit specific bids on deploying high-speed internet infrastructure during the scoring phase which ran from July 8, 2025 to July 18, 2025.
Draft Revised BEAD Plan Documents For Public Comment
Public comment is now open on Delaware's revised BEAD plan and supporting documents. We request you include the following information: your name, county in Delaware (if applicable), the organization you represent (if applicable), whether the organization is a public entity (if applicable), and what section(s) you are commenting on.
Comments must be received by September 2, 2025 to be considered for the final submission to NTIA and may be sent by email to BEAD@Delaware.gov or by postal mail to Delaware Broadband Office - BEAD, 801 Silver Lake Blvd, Dover, DE, 19904.
- BEAD Final Proposal
- BEAD Plan for Environmental and Historic Preservation
- BEAD Project Monitoring Plan
- BEAD Location List
- BEAD Project Areas
- BEAD Subgrantees
- No BEAD Locations
Additional BEAD Resources
Resources for 2025 BEAD Applicants
- DE BEAD BoB Round Templates
- DE BEAD BoB Scoring Rubric
- DTI BEAD Grant Area Locations Lists
- DTI BEAD Locations List Template
- DTI BEAD Restructuring FAQs
- DE BEAD Scoring Applications Guide Restructured
To qualify for BEAD funding, the Delaware Broadband Office was required to put together a series of four plans for approval by NTIA:
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1
Five Year Action Plan
-
2
Initial Proposal
Volume One -
3
Initial Proposal
Volume Two -
4
Final Plan
The Delaware Broadband Office is moving as quickly as possible to develop a replacement Final Plan and qualify again for this funding and bring high-speed internet to all Delawareans. At this time, NTIA has not said when states will receive permission and revised guidelines to use their nondeployment funds, leaving Delaware’s planned community internet projects on hold.
BEAD Timeline
Q1 2023
Delaware Broadband Offices begins stakeholder and community outreach in preparation for BEAD award.
Q2 2023
NTIA announces Delaware will receive $107 million from the BEAD program.
Q3 2023
Delaware submits and NTIA approves Delaware's Five Year Action Plan.
Delaware posts Initial Proposal Volume One for public comment.
Q4 2023
Delaware submits Initial Proposal Volume One to NTIA and receives approval.
After posting for the public comment period, Delaware submits Initial Proposal Volume Two to NTIA
Q2 2024
NTIA approves Initial Proposal Volume 2.
Delaware releases Request for Applications for ISPs to demonstrate their ability to comply with BEAD requirements if invited to bid for high-speed internet installation contracts.
Q3 2024
Prequalified applicants are invited to submit bids, including a match of private investment, for 8 project areas of eligible addresses in the Scoring Phase.
Q4 2024
After review and a 14-day public comment period, Delaware submits selected bids from Verizon Delaware LLC and Comcast Cable Communications Management LLC to NTIA for approval (the "Final Plan").
Q1 2025
Delaware receives approval of Final Plan with selected ISPs from NTIA on January 14. All approvals are then paused during new administration’s program review.
Q2 2025
NTIA rescinds all states’ prior approvals and institutes new program guidelines, giving them 90 days to revise their residential connection programs.
Q3 2025
Delaware revises Initial Proposal via letter, conducts new bidding round as required, and will submit a revised Final Proposal in September.
State Challenge Process
Delaware accepted challenges from January 17, 2024 to February 16, 2024.
NTIA requires that all states receiving BEAD funding run a "State Challenge Process." Delaware ran this process from January 17 to February 16, 2024. This was an occasion for certain organizations to "challenge" Delaware's list of homes and businesses that do not have access to high-speed internet. Per federal rules, only ISPs, non-profit organizations, and local governments were allowed to submit challenges.
You can review the challenges submitted and the results in the .csv files in this zip file.
Search for BEAD-eligible addresses on this map.
