The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), provides $42.45 billion of funding to states, territories and the District of Columbia (“Eligible Entities”) for broadband planning, deployment, mapping, equity, and adoption activities. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), as the agency responsible for administering the BEAD program, issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity describing the program’s requirements, including the requirement that each Eligible Entity submit an Initial Proposal describing, among other things, a BEAD “challenge process” under which a unit of local government, nonprofit organization, or broadband service provider may challenge a determination made by the Eligible Entity in the Initial Proposal as to whether a particular location or community anchor institution is eligible for BEAD funds, including whether a particular location is unserved or underserved.
In response to inquiries from Eligible Entities and other stakeholders, NTIA is proposing to issue:
Submit a Comment
NTIA seeks comment from the public on this proposed guidance. If you wish to provide comment to NTIA, please submit to BEAD@NTIA.gov by midnight EDT on May 5, 2023.
Please note that these are draft documents. Eligible Entities may not rely on NTIA guidance until it is finalized.
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