LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — State officials are continuing to work on improving and expanding internet infrastructure across Nevada.
They received a boost this month from the federal government. Last week, the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, NTIA, approved Nevada's Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment, BEAD, Final Proposal.
According to the Governor's Office of Science, Innovation and Technology, OSIT, that means about $170 million will be allocated for BEAD projects across the state. OSIT will also leverage more than $65 million in private sector investment as part of the BEAD deployment.
State officials say Nevada is eligible for more than $200 million in additional BEAD funding, but they are waiting for further guidance from NTIA about how those funds can be used.
Nevada had already received approval from federal regulators for over $416 million for the BEAD program in April 2024.
However, in June 2025, the Department of Commerce announced reforms to the BEAD program, which paused all funding until every program was reviewed again.
"President Trump promised to put an end to wasteful spending, and thanks to his leadership, the American people will get the benefit of the bargain, with connectivity delivered around the country at a fraction of the cost of the original program," U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said at the time.
Some of those reforms included:
- Removing the labor and employment requirement of the statute
- Eliminate the central planning and DEI labor and employment edicts
- Eliminate climate change requirements
- Ending net neutrality requirements
- Ending backdoor rate regulation
- Streamlining environmental reviews
Deployment of BEAD projects are expected to begin later this year.
Are there any other high-speed internet projects in progress?
Yes. The state is in Phase III of the High-Speed Nevada Initiative, which state officials say "will connect every unserved and underserved location in the state using the most effective mix of technologies, including fiber-optic, hybrid-fiber-coax, licensed fixed wireless, and satellite broadband."
Construction will be over the next four years. When it comes to funding, over $150 million is coming from the American Rescue Plan Act and the Capital Projects Fund. That's on top of over $250 million that Nevada officials have already allocated to broadband projects.
You can check out a map showing the project locations, companies working on the projects, what type of project it is, and the total funding for the project by clicking here.
How were those locations selected?
A few years ago, I caught up with Brian Mitchell, who was the Director of OSIT at the time. He told me they got as much public feedback as possible.
"We traveled over 3,000 miles across the state. We visited every county in Nevada twice and held over 130 meetings with over 1,000 Nevadans," Mitchell said. "We also distributed online and paper surveys that reached about another 1,000 Nevadans."
Mitchell added that state officials didn't see a particular area that had bad Internet access.
"I don't know if we necessarily measured who has the worst internet service but there are unserved communities in all parts of Nevada," Mitchell said. "[There are] some [in] the most rural and remote areas but there are also pockets near the urban areas of Nevada. Our goal and our process is making sure we don't leave anyone behind. We'll make sure we bring the right kind of internet infrastructure so you have that reliable internet connection."
What about Google Fiber?
Google broke ground on the first Las Vegas project on the west side of the valley last January.
In September, Google Fiber, or GFiber, officials signed a lease for an office in Summerlin, which will serve as the company's hub for the southwest submarket. They are setting up shop there this spring.
"Las Vegas deserves internet infrastructure that can keep pace with its ambitions," Ashley Church, GFiber West Region General Manager, said in a September press release. "We're not just connecting homes and businesses — we're supporting Las Vegas in its next chapter as a major tech hub and destination for residents and innovative companies seeking world-class connectivity."
Construction is underway and you can sign up to get updates by clicking here.