Saturday, January 14, 2023

NTIA to allocate BEAD funding by June 30

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has set June 30 as the date by which it will allocate each state and territory’s BEAD Program funding for high-speed Internet service. 

NTIA said it has engaged with dozens of states and territories to assist them in the process of improving the FCC's National Broadband Map. 

The FCC already has received over 1 million challenges to provider reported availability data and has updated the map’s underlying Fabric to add more than 1 million additional locations. 

"We have heard concerns from some states and other stakeholders, and we have received requests to delay the timeline to give states more time to participate in the FCC’s processes for challenging and improving the National Broadband Map. Several other states have expressed to us that they want us to maintain this target so that they can begin developing quality plans and begin their subgrant programs as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, a delay in the timeline would mean a delay in providing funding to communities who desperately need it, and it will not address many of the process concerns we have heard."

https://ntia.gov/blog/2023/advancing-internet-all