Future of Nebraska Broadband Office unclear following reduction in federal BEAD funds
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Broadband Office director Patrick Haggerty steps down, as others work to secure $340 million in unallocated federal funds.
This article was originally published by Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — In the wake of federal pressure for states to use less in allocated funds, and now without a permanent director, the future of Nebraska’s Broadband Office is murky.
Gov. Jim Pillen established the office as one of his first acts as governor in January 2023, which he tasked with overseeing the $405 million awarded to Nebraska through the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The goal of the office was to coordinate broadband deployment for parts of the state that remained unserved and underserved.
However, Nebraska only received about $44.5 million of that initial award in late 2025. This followed the Pillen administration’s Broadband Office seeking to spend less, roughly $43.8 million to expand rural broadband, drawing criticism from people concerned about whether Nebraska would still be able to hold onto the rest of the original allocation.
The leftover funds remain in limbo, with U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., working in D.C. to preserve the $340 million she says is still unallocated. On April 22, Fischer pressed Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about his plans, noting that Nebraska saw one of the most dramatic reductions in BEAD allocations nationally.
“Nebraskans need guidance on how they may use those dollars to further the goals of the BEAD program in my state,” Fischer said. “More than a month after (the National Telecommunications and Information Administration) delayed releasing guidance for how states may use these dollars, that guidance has still not been released.”
Lutnick said the U.S. Department of Commerce and NTIA conducted a listening tour and are working on a new program they expect to release within the next two months.
Vicki Kramer, director of Nebraska’s Department of Transportation and current interim director of the Broadband Office, claimed that “no funds have been ‘pulled back’ from Nebraska.” She said state officials await NTIA guidance on the remainder of the full funding allocation for “non-deployment purposes.” Kramer said she has not heard specifics on what sorts of projects might be eligible for non-deployment funds.
The $44.5 million awarded reflects reforms to the BEAD program under the Trump administration’s Benefit of the Bargain initiative, Kramer said. She said the funds are set to be distributed to various providers to deploy internet to the final 14,032 locations in Nebraska that the state’s BEAD application identified as unserved and underserved.
Some local Nebraskans involved in broadband access have expressed doubts over the feasibility of this plan. In an October column in the Examiner, Gage County farmer Emily Haxby said the Broadband Office’s plan would connect fewer than 1,300 locations to fiber broadband — often described as the “gold standard” for internet access. The remaining locations would be connected through less reliable means, including fixed wireless and satellite.
“If there were a trophy for squandering opportunity, Nebraska would already have it on the shelf,” Haxby wrote.
Months after these changes, on April 8, Pillen announced that Patrick Haggerty would be leaving his position as director of the Broadband Office. His last day was Friday.
While Pillen’s initial announcement did not specify the reason for Haggerty’s departure, records obtained through the Governor’s Office showed Haggerty voluntarily stepped down, though his resignation letter offered no reason for his departure. He did not return a reporter’s message left with the office.
Pillen has not given any word that he is accepting applications to replace Haggerty, and Kramer said she wasn’t sure if the governor is planning to fill the post.
The Broadband Office was set to be funded primarily through BEAD, leaving the future of the office in question. Kramer said state officials are not currently pursuing any other funding sources for the office, but they are hoping to keep the remaining BEAD dollars in-state, and are open to other potential funding options.
“We are keeping up-to-date with developments on the federal level, and if any are made available, we will explore them,” Kramer said.
While Pillen spokeswoman Laura Strimple said it’s likely too early to say what the future looks like for the Broadband Office, Kramer said the office will remain operational regardless of how much BEAD funding is allocated to the state.