Advancing Internet For All

In order to meet the urgency of this moment to connect the unconnected, we continue to target June 30, 2023 as the date by which we will allocate each state and territory’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding for high-speed Internet service. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission have worked closely with states to assist them in the process of improving the National Broadband Map to achieve this goal. We’ve held one-on-one sessions with dozens of states and territories throughout this process, as well as hosted twice-weekly office hours with the FCC to answer questions from state broadband offices. We’ve also engaged with more than a dozen grassroots advocacy organizations representing consumers and underrepresented populations to inform them and their members on how to submit challenges. We have heard concerns from some states and other stakeholders, and we have received requests to delay the timeline to give states more time to participate in the FCC’s processes for challenging and improving the National Broadband Map. Unfortunately, a delay in the timeline would mean a delay in providing funding to communities who desperately need it, and it will not address many of the process concerns we have heard.