Confidently Set an Optimal BEAD High-Cost Threshold Using the FBA/Cartesian Model

The Fiber Broadband Association and Cartesian unveil their BEAD Threshold Financial Model that will help states to calculate their Extremely High Cost Per Location Threshold (EHCT) for fiber broadband deployments using Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. FBA and Cartesian partnered to create the BEAD Threshold Financial Model to give states a credible methodology for arriving at a reasonable, individualized threshold. The sophisticated tool leverages geospatial analysis to build a financial model that states can use to develop their own cost thresholds for fiber deployments. The BEAD Threshold Financial Model is FBA’s latest resource that will help state broadband offices and others within the fiber broadband ecosystem connect every community to high-quality broadband and close the digital equity gap.

This webinar will provide an overview of the Threshold Financial Model and explain how to use this model.

The BEAD Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) directed states to expend program funds for all-fiber deployments except in the highest-cost areas, where alternative broadband technologies can be used instead. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) developed EHCTs to determine at what point—or threshold—states would not find the cost to deploy fiber would be unreasonably high and be able to use other technologies. However, no single threshold will universally meet program goals for every state because funding allocations are different for each state and the economics of deploying broadband technologies vary greatly among jurisdictions.