Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

Render Networks is itching to get in on the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) action, especially as deployment costs are going up. The company is hearing concern from state broadband offices that “there’s a real possibility that some of these firms could walk away from money because they just don’t see a way to actually execute against the constraints and still meet all the cost conditions.” Render’s bread-and-butter is a digital construction management platform that aims to automate many of the manual construction processes that go into broadband deployments.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved Mississippi and South Dakota’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. This approval enables Mississippi and South Dakota to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program—a major step towards closing the digital divide and meeting the President’s goal of connecting everyone in America with affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service. This action allows states to request:  

The state of Kentucky was allotted $1.1 billion to get every home hooked up to high-speed internet.

The town of McKee (KY), population 800, was ahead of the curve. The federal government is currently implementing the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, with the goal of connecting every home to high-speed internet by 2030. In McKee, the nonprofit Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative already did that—a decade ago. PRTC has about 55 employees and is based in Jackson County, where McKee is the county seat. PRTC borrowed $45 million from the federal government—in part from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a Great Recession-era stimulus bill.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Michigan’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative. This approval enables Michigan to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program. Michigan was allocated over $1.5 billion to deploy or upgrade high-speed Internet networks to ensure that everyone has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service.  

The state of Louisiana anticipates being the first to award funding in the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment rural broadband funding program. The state has a timeline to award its entire $1.3 billion BEAD allocation by a target date of November 1. The state began accepting BEAD applications August 19 and providers have only until August 29 to apply for funding in the first round.

Vecima announced that their its American-made broadband electronics for use in anticipated Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program networks are now available. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson said, "The Biden-Harris Administration is determined to create good jobs in the U.S.—and keep them here.

Connect Kākou is the Hawaiʻi statewide broadband initiative led by the University of Hawai'i' Broadband Office (UHBO) to ensure people from all walks of life have reliable and affordable access to high-speed Internet. The name “Connect Kākou” was chosen to reflect Hawaii’s goal of using high-speed internet to connect everyone across the state. The Hawaiian word “kākou” is used to convey the idea of “all of us,” and underscores the sense of collective responsibility and unity that this initiative represents.

The State of Nevada Governor’s Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT) announced the start of subgrantee selection for Phase III of the High Speed Nevada Initiative (HSNV).

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released long-awaited draft guidance on the use of non-fiber technologies for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, with unlicensed wireless spectrum and satellite broadband entering the funding fray.