# Nebraska Broadband Office faces uncertain future as federal funding shrinks  
**Published:** 2026-05-04T10:15:01.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/04/future-of-nebraska-broadband-office-unclear-following-reduction-in-federal-bead-funds/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/nebraska-broadband-office-faces-uncertain-future-as-federal-funding-shrinks

LINCOLN, Neb. — The future of Nebraska's Broadband Office has become murky following a dramatic reduction in federal funding and the recent departure of its director, leaving questions about the state's ability to expand rural internet access across the state.

According to a [Nebraska Examiner report](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/04/future-of-nebraska-broadband-office-unclear-following-reduction-in-federal-bead-funds/), the office faces significant uncertainty after receiving only $44.5 million of an initially promised $405 million in federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program funds. The reduction reflects reforms to the BEAD program under the Trump administration's Benefit of the Bargain initiative.

The Nebraska Broadband Office was established in January 2023 by Gov. Jim Pillen as one of his first acts in office. The office was tasked with coordinating broadband deployment for unserved and underserved portions of the state.

Patrick Haggerty, the office's director, departed May 1 after being appointed to the position in June 2023. Haggerty's resignation letter offered no explanation for his decision to step down. Gov. Pillen has not announced plans to fill the position permanently, leaving Vicki Kramer, director of the Nebraska Department of Transportation, to serve as interim director of the Broadband Office.

Meanwhile, the remaining $340 million in unallocated funds remain in limbo. U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., has been working in Washington to preserve those dollars, pressing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in late April about the department's deployment plans.

Kramer said no funds have been "pulled back" from Nebraska, but state officials await guidance from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on how to use remaining funds for "non-deployment purposes." The $44.5 million awarded will fund internet deployment to approximately 14,032 remaining unserved and underserved locations in the state, but the plan relies on a mix of technologies including fixed wireless and satellite instead of fiber broadband, which experts describe as the gold standard.

The office was primarily funded through BEAD money, leaving its long-term viability in question. State officials are not currently pursuing other funding sources but remain open to exploring federal programs if they become available.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/04/future-of-nebraska-broadband-office-unclear-following-reduction-in-federal-bead-funds/)

---

This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/04/future-of-nebraska-broadband-office-unclear-following-reduction-in-federal-bead-funds/.