DENVER, Dec. 1, 2025 —Today, the Colorado Broadband Office (CBO), under the Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT), announced that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Colorado’s Final Proposal under the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, unlocking $420.6 million in federal funding from the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) for the state’s broadband infrastructure. This historic investment means that high-speed internet is on its way to more than 96,000 Coloradans.
“For too long, thousands of Coloradans have been stuck without the reliable, high-speed internet needed to work, learn, run a business, or access health care. This historic investment will help ensure that Coloradans have access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet required to thrive,” said Gov. Jared Polis.
This strategic deployment will connect rural and some urban homes and businesses using a variety of technologies that include a mix of fiber, wireless, and low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that will be connected by internet service providers. To find out which broadband technology each location will receive using BEAD funding, refer to the BEAD Final Proposal Map.
“This approval from the NTIA is the culmination of years of intensive planning and application processes. This is a monumental win for rural Coloradans who have lacked access to high-speed internet,” said Brandy Reitter, CBO Executive Director. “This highly anticipated $420.6 million in BEAD funding will be strategically deployed to connect our most remote communities, directly addressing the digital divide.”
The BEAD program was created through the IIJA as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative, and includes major broadband provisions drawn from Senator Michael Bennet’s bipartisan BRIDGE Act. Senators Michael Bennet, John Hickenlooper, and Congressman Joe Neguse played a central role in shaping and passing this historic investment, helping secure more than $5 million in planning funds in 2022 and over $826 million in BEAD allocations for Colorado in 2023. Their work to modernize broadband standards, expand affordability programs, and prioritize unserved and underserved communities positioned Colorado as one of the first states in the nation to receive NTIA approval to access BEAD funding and move from planning to implementation. This strong federal-state partnership laid the foundation for today’s approval and continues to accelerate Colorado’s progress toward connecting households with affordable, reliable high-speed internet.
Following this approval, National Institute of Standards Technology (NIST) will have 20 days to review Colorado’s plan, then the state will have 30 days to review and sign. Once these steps have been completed, CBO will be able to initiate grant agreements, draw down funds and move forward with BEAD projects. See Appendix A for a list of the projects that will move forward to connect thousands of currently unserved and underserved locations with high-speed internet access. Once awarded, grantees will have four years to complete construction on their projects.
This investment is crucial for closing Colorado's digital divide and directly supports the Governor's Executive Order to connect 99% of all Coloradans to high-speed internet.