# Arkansas Disburses BEAD Broadband Funding

Arkansas has disbursed an initial $2.6 million in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding to Brightspeed after the company completed a required project milestone. The funding supports 13 projects across 25 Arkansas counties expected to connect more than 13,700 homes and businesses. Further milestone-based disbursements may follow as projects progress, creating a potential pipeline of broadband deployment work for providers and their subcontractors.

- Brightspeed’s projects provide a concrete example of BEAD funds being released against completed milestones; companies pursuing similar work should account for milestone verification in project delivery and cash-flow planning.
- The projects span 25 counties and target more than 13,700 locations, indicating demand for broadband deployment capabilities across Arkansas.
- The Arkansas State Broadband Office administers the state activity, while NTIA is the federal agency associated with the BEAD program.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Information Technology
**Topics:** Digital Infrastructure, Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 15, 2026

### Government Entities
- Arkansas State Broadband Office
- National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)

### Vendors
- Brightspeed (awardee)

### Sources
- [Arkansas Disburses First BEAD Funding, Marks Major Program Milestone | Benton Institute for Broadband & Society](https://www.benton.org/headlines/arkansas-disburses-first-bead-funding-marks-major-program-milestone) - Benton Institute for Broadband & Society