NMI to proceed with IT&E’s underground fiber
SAIPAN — The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has approved the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands’ Final Proposal under the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, placing the CNMI among 18 states and territories now cleared to move toward BEAD-funded broadband deployment.
In a news release from Washington, NTIA said the first group of Final Proposals approved under the Trump Administration’s “Benefit of the Bargain” reforms is expected to save approximately $6 billion. Officials said those reforms led to a surge in participation, competition, and private-sector matching contributions, which helped drive down costs and increase “skin in the game” from providers.
“We are delivering the Benefit of the Bargain through the BEAD program that best serves the interests of the American people,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said, adding that removing burdensome rules, regulations, and what he described as wasteful requirements would save taxpayers billions while still connecting unserved areas through a range of broadband technologies.
Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth said the Trump Administration is “on track to deliver universal connectivity in the United States once and for all,” arguing that the reforms are working and that the focus on results and strong oversight is “paying dividends for communities across the country.”
The approved Final Proposals are from Louisiana, Wyoming, Iowa, American Samoa, Georgia, Arkansas, Delaware, Guam, Maine, New Hampshire, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Connecticut, South Carolina, North Dakota, Hawaii, Montana, Rhode Island, and Virginia. NTIA said Louisiana has already signed its award amendment, allowing the state to begin drawing BEAD funds to deliver broadband service.
NTIA said the approvals follow its June BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice, which removed what it called “extralegal regulatory burdens” and implemented reforms aimed at lowering costs, speeding deployment, and allowing all technology solutions to be considered. States and territories had until Sept. 4, 2025, to comply with the notice and conduct an additional round of subgrantee selection designed to deliver the “Benefit of the Bargain” for taxpayers.
As of this week, 53 of 56 states and territories have submitted their Final Proposals. NTIA now estimates total savings for taxpayers of at least $21 billion under the restructured BEAD framework, with further savings possible as the remaining proposals are submitted and reviewed.
