When Will We See BEAD Grants?

When we’ll be able to file for grants from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program? The short answer to the question is that we can’t know yet. But we know all of the steps that must be taken by a state before it can start offering grants. We have a date for the first step of the process. On May 15, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will release a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the BEAD program. This document will flesh out the NTIAs understanding of how the grant process will work. Then states will have to file a letter of intent (LOI) with the NTIA to describe the current state of broadband in the state and must describe the state’s plan for using and administering the BEAD funding. States are allowed to request up to $5 million at the time that they submit the LOI. This funding is provided to help states reach out to citizens, communities, and businesses. The funds can be used for a variety of planning purposes like data collection, developing a budget for operating the State grant program, materials for outreach to the public, etc. States that accept the $5 million of funding must file a 5-Year Action Plan to the NTIA. The whole process is then on hold until the FCC releases updated broadband maps. I will be surprised if the first maps from the new process are not a messy disaster – and I’m not sure what happens if they are. It’s hard to think that the FCC will be ready to release the new mapping data before the end of this year, although the agency will be under huge pressure to get this done sooner.