Fischer calls Nebraska’s unallocated broadband funds concerning

Nebraska was awarded $405 million in 2023 to expand rural internet access through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program, or BEAD.

However, the state’s final program proposal would only allocate $44.5 million in federal funds, along with $21 million in private investment, for the last 2% of homes, farms and small businesses in Nebraska without high-speed broadband.

Gov. Jim Pillen called the state’s proposal a major milestone, moving the state from the planning phase to its implementation.

“This is a tremendous victory for Nebraska,” Pillen said. “With this approval, rural Nebraskans who have been left waiting will finally have access to the same online opportunities and services as everyone else. Our plan is practical, responsible, and built to serve Nebraska’s needs today and for many years to come.”

But Sen. Deb Fischer, who helped orchestrate Nebraska’s 2023 allocation, said she’d like to see the state use more of the money it was given.

“It's concerning that that there's a lot of money that hasn't been allocated,” she said. “I'm glad that there was a proposal from the state that was accepted, but it was worrisome because we have many unserved areas across the state.”

Earlier this year, Fischer and other Republican senators advocated for the removal of Biden-era regulations on the BEAD program, which hasn’t connected any homes since its creation.

The Trump administration removed some regulations, while adjusting eligibility requirements, cutting the number of eligible locations in Nebraska in half.

Fischer said she is working with Pillen to keep the additional $360 million in Nebraska for infrastructure investments, such as precision agriculture.

“I'm excited and hopeful that we're going to be able to redirect some of that money to other investments that are really necessary for our ag producers, for the state of Nebraska as a whole, to be able to put that money to good use, and not just programs,” she said.

Pillen said the status of the remaining undeployed broadband funds is supposed to be decided sometime next year.