Congress appropriated $65 billion through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to close the digital divide and ensure universal access to reliable, high-speed, and affordable broadband across the United States. The cornerstone―$42.45 billion―rests with the implementation of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a new program overseen by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that entrusts execution and deployment of the resources to state governments.