Call To Action: AZ Commerce Authority Seeks Public Comment on Draft Final Proposal for BEAD Program Funds

The Arizona Commerce Authority’s State Broadband Office is seeking comment on a draft BEAD Program Final Proposal it released on Wednesday, August 27th. The Final Proposal establishes Arizona’s plan to administer its allocation of funding under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program administered by the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA). Under the NTIA’s updated BEAD Program guidelines, states must submit their Final Proposals to the NTIA for review by September 4, 2025. 

According to the draft Final Proposal, the Arizona Commerce Authority plans to connect 184,066 broadband serviceable locations (BSLs), with 75% of those locations receiving connectivity via fiber. The draft Final Proposal also provides information regarding the state’s subgrantee selection process including an explanation of its scoring criteria, timelines for implementation, and proposed monitoring and oversight processes. Exhibits showing the final list of BSLs, projects, and awarded entities are located at the bottom of the Final Proposal web page and can be viewed in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

Interested parties may file comments online via the Final Proposal Public Comment Form. All comments must be submitted to the Arizona Commerce Authority by Wednesday, September 3, 2025 at 5:59pm AZ-MST.