NTIA working on guidance to address states' broadband grant questions

The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration is developing guidance that will clarify how states should handle the process of distributing Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program funding. Addressing the US Conference of Mayors, NTIA Senior Adviser Sarah Morris said the agency is working to answer many state officials asking how they should manage the distribution of BEAD funding at the local level, including concerns over which projects are worth funding and how to find reliable data. The agency does not yet have a timeline for the release of this guidance. “Congress has told the NTIA that for the purposes of allocation, for the purposes of calculating how much money each state receives, we must rely on the FCC’s broadband maps,” said Morris. Beyond that point, Congress’ directive was less clear, she added.