Broadband Breakfast reports...

As Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program projects begin to get underway, rising project costs could be a potential pain point.

“We are seeing this across the board with providers,” said Bree Maki, executive director of Minnesota’s broadband office. She spoke at the Mountain Connect conference here in Denver.

Applicants bid for grants under the $42.45 billion BEAD program nearly one year ago, and under new Trump administration rules that prioritized cost-efficient builds. In the meantime, inflation has continued apace and AI companies’ demand for American-made fiber has grown.