Hagåtña, Guam — Guam has launched what officials are calling the island’s most wide-ranging broadband expansion to date, with new federal Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment (BEAD) subawards set to connect nearly 1,400 homes, upgrade 175 community institutions to gigabit service, and extend satellite coverage to hard-to-reach areas.
Governor Lou Leon Guerrero announced that the Office of Infrastructure Policy and Development, Guam’s Broadband Office, has received federal approval to move forward with deployment projects under the BEAD program. Prior broadband awards focused on network capability or reached fewer homes than those covered under the new deployments.
“Every family, student, and worker on Guam deserves reliable, high-speed internet—no matter where they live or what their income may be,” Leon Guerrero said, calling the investment “long overdue” and highlighting its potential to strengthen the economy, improve public safety, and support residents in the digital age.
Lt. Governor Josh Tenorio said rural and remote areas have “waited too long” for reliable service, adding that the projects are intended to ensure that no community, student, senior, veteran, or family is left behind in accessing essential digital services.
Under the approved plan, GTA will extend storm-resilient fiber to almost 1,400 homes that currently lack consistent connectivity, with construction rolling out in stages and service coming online as segments are completed. The network design is intended to withstand Guam’s climate and support school, work, telehealth, and public safety needs.
IT&E will deliver gigabit-speed fiber connections to 175 community anchor institutions, including schools, clinics, libraries, senior centers, and public safety facilities. Officials say those upgrades are expected to improve distance learning, telehealth, emergency response, and other critical services, while strengthening village-level resilience.
SpaceX will provide Starlink satellite service to locations where geography makes traditional infrastructure difficult, offering households in those areas a more dependable connection for work, school, and communication.
According to the Broadband Office, Guam will award $1,820,957.56 in BEAD deployment subgrants, supported by $3,134,370.83 in matching funds from participating providers. A $500,000 cybersecurity monitoring project is also part of the approved plan. All awarded costs were verified as tied to BEAD-eligible deployment activities and selected through a federally compliant review process that prioritized resiliency, affordability, reliability, community impact, and full NTIA compliance.
While BEAD rules allow up to four years for deployment, the providers plan to deliver their projects in shorter, phased stages to bring service online as soon as possible. NTIA-identified locations from Yigo to Chalan Pago, along with community anchor institutions such as mayors’ offices, are included, while other areas are being addressed through separate federally funded broadband efforts.
Officials described the milestone as the result of more than two years of work by the Broadband Office, including detailed mapping of service gaps, village-level consultations, coordination with federal agencies and local governments, and development of Guam’s first official broadband strategy plans. The office continues to work with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on additional BEAD-supported proposals still under federal review.
“This work is about giving every family and every village a fair shot,” Leon Guerrero said, adding that better broadband will expand opportunities for learning, health, business, safety, and connection across the island. Deployment will begin once final subgrant agreements are executed.
