American Association of Public Broadband raises $200K, concerns about NTIA's broadband funding notice

The American Association of Public Broadband (AAPB) is concerned the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s broadband infrastructure funding guidelines pose a challenge for local and state governments seeking to boost municipal broadband. The challenges include a cumbersome application process with a letter-of-credit requirement which serve as steep barriers to entry for local government, nonprofits and small ISPs. Additionally, the multi-year rollout of BEAD funds leave many high-speed broadband projects out in the cold, limiting the options for those deploying prior to 2024. While NTIA tried to remove some of the barriers to federal funding, said AAPB Secretary Kimberly McKinley, its guidelines “put up a few more barriers than they probably intended.” One caveat the NOFO outlined, she explained, was that BEAD applicants must have two years of operational or managerial experience in the broadband space. “How does a community have that if they’ve never owned or operated a municipal broadband system?” McKinley said, arguing that provision further stifles new market entrants.