Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program

The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program provides funding for broadband infrastructure and the preparation of a plan by each Eligible Entity (state) for how to achieve "Internet for All". Federal BEAD program funding for broadband infrastructure deployment included a minimum of $100 million for each state. Allocations to each state above the initial funding were announced on June 26, 2023. Minnesota will receive a total of $651,839,368. The individual state amounts were calculated from the number of unserved locations (locations without reliable broadband service of at least 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload) within each state based on new maps that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) developed as well as the number of such locations in areas deemed to be high cost.

Additional information on the federal BEAD program is available on the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) website.

View materials and resources from the Minnesota BEAD program before NTIA’s BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice (6/6/25) in the Archived BEAD Materials dropdown below.

BEAD Grantor Portal

Access the BEAD Grantor Portal

Approved BEAD Applicants (4/14/2025)
Watch a walkthrough on how to select locations in the BEAD Grantor Portal.
If you have any technical questions on the portal, please email mnhelpdesk@ready.net.

Policy Notices

BEAD Restructuring: UFLW and BEAD Location Eligibility (June 12, 2025)
Identification of Non-BSLs for BEAD

BEAD Eligible Locations

BEAD Restructuring: UFLW and BEAD Location Eligibility (June 12, 2025)
BEAD Eligibility Map
- Resources available to assist with using the Minnesota interactive broadband map are available from Connected Nation, Map Product How-To Videos. A downloadable PDF is also available as a quick-start guide, BEAD Mapping Portal Guide.
Final List of BEAD Eligible Locations with No BEAD locations (3-17-2025 - this update adds the NTIA non-service code where applicable)
- The spreadsheet above contains the FINAL list of BEAD eligible locations approved by NTIA. If you are a provider and note any locations on the list that should be further deduplicated due to public funding commitments, please contact OBD at deed.broadband@state.mn.us.
View unserved and underserved locations by county in Minnesota. Download the "BEAD Eligible Locations by County (PDF)" or "BEAD Eligible Locations by County (XLSX)". (3-3-2025)

BEAD FAQs

BEAD FAQ Submission Form

Submit FAQs on BEAD through the form above.

Additional guidance and technical assistance from NTIA on BEAD is available on the NTIA webpage.

BEAD Information Sessions

Minnesota BEAD Contractor Directory
Minnesota BEAD Contractor Directory

Minnesota BEAD Contractor Directory Form
- Complete and submit the form above to be listed on the Minnesota BEAD Contractor Directory.
- The Minnesota BEAD Contractor directory is a voluntary list consisting of the names and contact information of the contractors and subcontractors that have requested to be included in the directory. The directory is not an exhaustive list of all the contractors and subcontractors based or working in the state of Minnesota, and the Office of Broadband Development (OBD) does not endorse or vet any of the companies or individuals listed. OBD reserves the right to discontinue the directory at any time.
Download the Minnesota BEAD Contractor Directory (6/11/2025). The directory will be updated weekly.
BEAD Timeline
BEAD Timeline

The process for receiving and awarding BEAD funding has multiple steps and spans multiple years:

November 15, 2021

IIJA signed into law

May 16, 2022

BEAD Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) issued

May 30, 2023

FCC issues new broadband data maps which are basis for BEAD funding

June 26, 2023

State/Eligible Entities funding allocations announced by NTIA

July 12, 2023

Minnesota submits BEAD Five Year Action Plan

December 22, 2023

Minnesota Submits Initial Proposal Vol. 1 and Vol. 2

May 29, 2024

NTIA approves Minnesota's Initial Proposal Vol. 1

Summer 2024

BEAD Challenge process
- 6/25/24 to 7/15/24, BEAD Challenge informational sessions held across the state and online
- 7/22/24 to 8/21/24, 30 days to submit challenges
- 8/22/24 to 9/20/24, 30 days to rebut
- 9/21/24 to 10/21/24, 30 days for OBD to adjudicate
- 12/18/24, Final list of BEAD eligible locations submitted to NTIA for its approval
Fall 2024

October 3, 2024, Volume 2 approved by NTIA

January 2025
- January 17, 2025 BEAD list of eligible locations was approved by NTIA
- January 27, 2025 the BEAD Grantor Portal opened for the Pre-Qualification process. Pre-Qualification is for interested applicants to submit specified documentation to support their financial, managerial, technical and operational capacity to participate in the BEAD program as a subgrantee and must be completed to participate in BEAD. The Pre-Qualification process was extended to remain open until March 13, 2025.
Spring 2025
- March 24 - April 21, 2025 Subgrantee selection subround, 11a
- June 6, 2025 NTIA released BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice
Volumes 1 & 2 and BEAD Five-year Action Plan
Volumes 1 & 2

The Office of Broadband Development submitted their Initial Proposal draft for the BEAD program to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on December 22, 2023. Minnesota's BEAD Initial Proposal, Volume 1 was approved on May 30, 2024.

Volume 1
Volume 2
BEAD Five-year Action Plan

As Minnesota's eligible entity, the Office of Broadband Development also submitted the state's BEAD Five-Year Action Plan to NTIA on July 12, 2023.
Completed Challenge Process in MN
BEAD Challenge in Minnesota, July - November 2024

Minnesota's NTIA BEAD Challenge provided an opportunity to finalize the funding eligibility and status of Minnesota's broadband serviceable locations and community anchor institutions.

The BEAD Challenge process was the only opportunity for local governments, nonprofits and providers to "challenge" the status of a location as eligible or ineligible for federal BEAD funding.

Eligible entities that could participate in the BEAD Challenge process were Local and Tribal Governments; Nonprofits; and Broadband Service Providers. NTIA requirements did not allow the public to submit challenges independently. However, the public could submit information about their location such as speed tests or documentation of lack of service.

Following the completion of the BEAD Challenge Process, only locations classified as unserved and underserved will be eligible for BEAD grant funding.

BEAD Challenge Resources
Additional Resources

Additional Resources

Priorities and Proposed Modifications to Minnesota’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Volume 2 and Administrative Streamlines

Letter, sent 3/27/2025 from Minnesota Office of Broadband to United States Department of Commerce.

NTIA's ArcGIS Pro Permitting and Environmental Information Tool (APPEIT) Overview and User Instructions

This tool is intended to help federal broadband grant recipients and subgrantees identify permits and environmental factors as they plan routes for their broadband deployments. The tool is comprised of an ArcGIS Pro Project containing a custom ArcGIS Toolbox tool, linked web map shared by the NTIA's National Broadband Map (NBAM), a report template, and a Tasks item to guide users through using the tool. To use APPEIT, users will input a project area boundary or project route line in a shapefile or feature class format. The tool will return as a CSV and PDF report that lists any federal layers from the ArcGIS Pro Permitting and Environmental Information Web Map that intersect the project. View the linked instructions above for more information on APPEIT.

2024 Broadband Infrastructure Cost Gap Analysis

The Office of Broadband (OBD) issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a consultant to perform a broadband cost gap analysis study for the state of Minnesota. The purpose of the analysis was two-fold: first, to determine the amount of funding needed to serve the state under BEAD; and second, to determine the cost if all locations in the state were to be served with a minimum 100Mbps download/20Mbps upload wireline connection, as is the goal under state law.

Getting CostQuest Licenses for Fabric IDs

If you plan to participate in the BEAD program, you will need a CostQuest license to review the list of BEAD eligible locations and to identify the locations included in your application project area.
Archived BEAD Materials
Archived BEAD Materials

BEAD Resources for Pre-Qualification and Application
2025 Webinars, Application Information Sessions, and Office Hours

Webinars

OBD provided an update of information on the BEAD program in Minnesota going into 2025. To watch the recording of the webinar and download the slides, visit the OBD webinar's webpage.

Application Information Sessions
- Session 1, Round 11a: March 25 PDF of slides | Recording
Office Hours

Materials from previous office hours:
For questions on webinars or office hours, please email deed.broadband@state.mn.us.

Additional Resources