Latest Broadband Infrastructure Playbook 3.0 Module Looks at Setting Extremely High-Cost Thresholds to Maximize Impact of BEAD Investments

One of the most critical questions that each State and Territory must tackle in implementing the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program is how to make efficient investments in the most reliable, capable, and sustainable broadband connectivity for those residents and businesses that have been left behind while reaching as many unserved and underserved locations as possible. To make this calculus, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) directs each State and Territory to set an “Extremely High Cost per Location Threshold” (EHCT), which defines the point at which a stated preference for future-proof fiber deployment is no longer cost-effective and alternate technologies will be given greater consideration. To be clear, and in the interest of full disclosure, our organizations are unabashedly pro-fiber. We believe, and research supports, that fiber represents the most efficient and effective, long-term investment in virtually all cases. At the same time, we understand that some locations in sparsely settled areas will be very expensive to reach, and government funding is finite. The EHCT is the tool by which each State or Territory will make such determinations about the mix of network technologies needed to reach unserved and underserved consumers. State and Territory broadband offices should not “settle” too low in setting the EHCT, as this will deprive consumers of reliable and scalable technology that will best leverage BEAD’s historic investment and stand the test of time. On the other hand, there are risks in setting the EHCT too high because this could lead to BEAD funding being depleted before every unserved location is connected. In this Playbook 3.0 module, working with the experts at Cartesian, we examine these trade-offs, dive deeper into the factors to consider in setting the EHCT and provide recommendations on how to go about setting a reasonable EHCT.