Federal Broadband Funding: Time to Act

States and territories were required to inform the National Telecommunications and Information Administration by July 18 if they intended to participate in the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. After NTIA approves a state’s anticipated planning process (due August 15), BEAD unlocks $5 million to each participating state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico ($1.25 million for the four smaller territories) for initial planning. After funds are in hand, recipients have up to 270 days (approximately mid-May 2023) to craft a five-year plan to provide broadband to their residents and businesses. Final deployment decisions will require better maps of existing broadband services than most states have available, where some states have completed their own maps. State maps typically include community anchor and emergency response institutions, schools, transportation corridors, and crowdsourced speed tests. The new Federal Communications Commission map data system (“fabric” in database terms) accommodates this extra information. Once the challenges are resolved, states and territories have 180 days to file their draft initial proposed plans for using BEAD money. Once NTIA approves these initial proposals, states get 20 percent of the total project funds they’ve allocated and a year to finalize deployment plans.