(Rapid City, SD) — South Dakota’s push to expand broadband access is hitting a major roadblock. A five-million-dollar federal grant meant to improve internet in rural and tribal communities has now been cut. The funding, part of the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment — or BEAD — program, was aimed at building 5G towers, laying fiber-optic lines, and boosting digital literacy. South Dakota Democratic Representative Erik Muckey says without the money, the state’s broadband efforts are likely stalled. He criticizes what he calls a political push to cut anything labeled “equity,” even when it’s about basic infrastructure. Meanwhile, some progress is still happening. The Rosebud Tribe secured its own 48-million-dollar federal grant in 2022 to build broadband infrastructure. That project, set to break ground June 6th, will connect around 35-hundred homes by mid-2026.
