NTIA’s Evan Feinman Tries to Calm ISP Fears on BEAD Reporting, Low-Cost Service Requirements

Service providers shouldn’t let reporting requirements or a requirement to offer low-cost service stop them from applying for Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding, said Evan Feinman, BEAD program director for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The requirement to offer a low-cost service has become a particularly big concern as funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is set to run out. Many providers had seen the FCC $30-a-month ACP benefit for low-income customers as a means of meeting that requirement. Without the ACP, some providers might be reluctant to participate in the BEAD program. Feinman also offered providers some potential relief on another BEAD requirement that may be holding some providers back from applying: reporting requirements. “We have a very aggressive goal of reducing the amount of reports that [providers] have to do,” he said. “We will try to get guidance out as soon as possible.” Nevertheless, Feinman encouraged providers to enlist the help of people with federal grant writing experience, perhaps on a shared basis with other providers. It should be possible to use a portion of BEAD winnings to go toward the cost of hiring that expert help, he said.