Poverty Advocacy Group Raises BEAD Funding Concerns

WASHINGTON, April 22, 2026 — Children’s Defense Fund, the child poverty advocacy group founded by Marian Wright Edelman , has raised concerns that $700 million of Mississippi's BEAD funding may be reallocated away from the state’s poorest communities.

The advocacy group fears that Starlink’s competition for state BEAD funding will leave poor and minority communities underserved. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration rejected Starlink’s request for a waiver of certain state BEAD requirements.

“These dollars represent real opportunity for Mississippi communities and rural areas across the South,” said CDF regional office director Oleta Garrett Fitzgerald. “When they are not fully used or left on the table, it means fewer opportunities for our children, especially when technology is driving education and future economies.”

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