As previewed in our earlier post, the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration ("NTIA") announced how much money each state and
territory will be allocated as part of the Broadband Equity, Access
and Deployment program (the "BEAD Program"). Nineteen states were allocated more than $1
billion: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia,
Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri,
North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia,
Washington, and Wisconsin.
States now have until December 23, 2023, to submit to NTIA their
Initial Proposal to award these funds. The Initial Proposal must
outline:
- The specific locations in the state that qualify as unserved,
underserved, and community anchor institutions. These
determinations must be made using the FCC's broadband map as a
base, but states can propose changes to the classification of
specific locations.
