On behalf of the Idaho Broadband Advisory Board (IBAB) and the Idaho Office of Broadband (IOB), please see this month’s update below.
Idaho Bead Program
After receiving approval of the State’s BEAD Final Proposal from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on December 19, 2025, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) formally issued Idaho’s Notice of Award (NoA) on January 26, 2026.
Acceptance of the Program’s Terms and Conditions is due in early March. Issuance of the NoA also triggers the State’s 6-month shot-clock to get subgrant agreements signed and executed, which includes the completion of several environmental permitting steps.
With formal approvals from both NTIA and NIST, the IOB has now posted updated BEAD Final Proposal documents here, including the new Idaho BEAD Awards Dashboard.
The State looks forward to working with subgrantees to execute the Idaho BEAD Subgrant Agreement, assist with permitting and implement the State’s BEAD Monitoring & Compliance Standard Operating Procedures as those are the next significant steps of the BEAD Program.
Idaho Capital Projects Fund Program
Awarded $120M via ARPA in December 2023
18 projects/15 subgrantees statewide/connecting 30K+ homes & businesses
Projects complete by December 31, 2026
Idaho Broadband Fund Program
No updates.
Idaho Broadband Advisory Board
No meeting currently scheduled.
Board member bios can be viewed here.
IBAB meeting materials can be viewed here.
Other News
House Bill 674: Discontinuation of Telecommunication Service
Sponsored by Representative Vander Woude
House Bill 675: Definition of Broadband
Sponsored by Representative Vander Woude
PUC Rulemaking
In accordance with HB180-2025aaS, this pending rule was presented to the Senate State Affairs Committee (Rule Book) on January 28, 2026, and was subsequently approved. It was presented to the House State Affairs Committee (Rule Book) on February 16th and was approved
The IOB Director participated on a panel at the Connecting Communities Summit on January 28th.
Idaho Commerce Connect 2026
- Driggs, (City Hall), March 24th @ 8:30am-noon
- Sandpoint, April 9th @ 8:30am-noon
- Burley, July 16th @ 8:30am-noon
For more information, please contact Tatum Clark: Tatum.Clark@commerce.idaho.gov
2026 Idaho Rural Success Summit in Pocatello on May 13-14, 2026.
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