Here’s the status of the BEAD grant application process

We're in the thick of the process to distribute $42.5 billion of government funds to companies that will ultimately win Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funds. Carol Mattey, a former deputy bureau chief with the Federal Communications Commission who now works as a broadband consultant said a handful of states, that are early in the game, are allowing pre-qualification applications for BEAD grants. Some of the states doing this include Missouri, Montana, Wyoming and Louisiana. Since none of the states have opened their grant application windows, it’s unknown what the actual applications will look like. To make it more complicated, each state’s application will probably be different. However, seventy-five percent of the scoring that will determine BEAD sub-grantee winners are factors that have been pre-determined by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.