On September 3, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released its BEAD Supplemental Deployment Policy Notice, opening a new round of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding for locations that remain unserved because of provider defaults in other broadband programs, mapping changes, or misreporting since states finalized their federally approved deployment plans. The following statement may be attributed to Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Executive Director Revati Prasad:

"Every unserved home and business deserves a broadband connection, and this notice gives states a new path to find the locations the first round of BEAD missed. We support NTIA's effort to true up the Federal Communications Commission's maps and ensure funding follows the households and small businesses still waiting for service.

"Congress recognized that universal connectivity requires investment in both the physical and human infrastructure of broadband. We look forward to learning how states will be able to use BEAD funds to connect apartment buildings and other multifamily housing where low-income residents live, and to support adoption efforts that turn a new connection into one people actually use. After so much delay, we urge NTIA to get Digital Equity Act funding flowing, so states and trusted partners have the resources to help people make meaningful use of the internet. "

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all people in the U.S. have access to competitive, High-Performance Broadband regardless of where they live or who they are. We believe communication policy - rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity - has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities.

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Kevin Taglang
Executive Editor, Communications-related Headlines
Benton Institute
for Broadband & Society
1041 Ridge Rd, Unit 214
Wilmette, IL 60091
847-220-4531
headlines AT benton DOT org

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Broadband Delivers Opportunities and Strengthens Communities