By the Arkansas Black Vitality Staff
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Feb. 20, 2026 – The Arkansas Legislative Council (ALC) today approved the initial tranche of Arkansas’s more than $1.2 billion in federal funds from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program awards, allocating $126.1 million to expand high-speed broadband access in most rural areas of the state.

This first round of awards will support projects reaching over 51,000 homes and businesses across Arkansas. The approved projects involve 15 different Internet Service Providers (ISPs), including 13 fiber-optic providers, 2 satellite providers, and 1 fixed wireless operator.

The powerful bicameral ALC, authorized to make legislative decisions between regular sessions of the Arkansas General Assembly, approved the appropriations for the state’s BEAD awards by voice vote at the State Capitol.

“This first round of grant awards represents more than $287 million in total broadband investment, including over $160 million in private match,” said Glen Howie, director of the Arkansas State Broadband Office, also known as AR Connect.

“That level of commitment reflects confidence in Arkansas’ market-driven broadband strategy. We are building on nationally leading connectivity growth and moving decisively to eliminate the digital divide in Arkansas by the end of the decade.”

Along with the initial $126.1 million, grantees have pledged $160.9 million in matching funds, bringing the total project costs for this first round to over $287 million, as noted by Howie.

One of the few federal programs from the Biden era that President Trump did not completely dismantle, the BEAD Program was allocated $42.45 billion by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to expand high-speed internet access nationwide through funding for broadband planning, deployment, mapping, equity, and adoption projects and activities.

A five-year, $1.2 trillion bill signed into law by President Biden after bipartisan congressional approval in November 2021. The landmark pandemic-era omnibus legislation is the country’s largest infrastructure investment in nearly a century.

Following the BEAD application period last summer, the Natural State was one of only 19 states allocated more than $1 billion through the rural broadband program, ranking ninth in the country, per capita. 

Over a year ago, ARConnect announced the first round of applications for the state’s BEAD infrastructure buildout, calling it “the single largest investment in broadband infrastructure in the state’s history.” By the end of January 2025, state officials reported receiving over 814 bids for the initial round of BEAD funding to establish a broadband backbone for 84,000 homes, businesses, and community anchor institutions across the state.

A total of 48 internet service providers (ISPs) and partnerships pre-registered to participate in the state BEAD program. Of these, 29 ISPs and partnerships are based in Arkansas, while 19 ISPs pre-registered nationwide. In late August, Arkansas released its draft final proposal for distributing federal broadband funding, outlining plans to connect all 79,272 unserved and underserved locations in the state for just $308.3 million.

The proposal provides an average subsidy of $3,889 for each location, according to the Arkansas State Broadband Office draft report.

According to ARConnect, Arkansas has led the nation in broadband connectivity growth in recent years, posting the largest percentage increase in connected locations between 2021 and 2024. Howie said the first-round BEAD Program approval by the legislative council builds on that momentum, speeding up a strategy that has already delivered measurable, nationally leading results.

With legislative approval now secured, projects will move forward to finalize the grant agreement, with construction planned to begin in the second quarter of this year. Additional BEAD Program awards are anticipated to be presented to ALC for approval in the coming months.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, 80-100 percent of Arkansans are expected to have access to at least 10 Mbps of fixed broadband once projects funded by the Connect America Fund Phase II Auction are completed. This program aims to reform and modernize all broadband services, including mobile, internet, satellite, cable, and fiber optic connections.

This indicates significant progress in broadband coverage, though the state still ranks 48th in the nation. The FCC has not provided specific information regarding the 10 Mbps threshold after the BEAD program.

However, the BEAD program aims to ensure that all Americans have access to high-speed internet, and the FCC’s annual assessment considers broadband affordability, adoption, availability, and equitable access. Also, the FCC’s annual report raises the benchmark for high-speed broadband speeds to 500 Mbps as a long-term goal.