Final BEAD Rules Released

The guessing game is over since the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has released the final rules about how the new Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) grant process will work. It’s still impossible to make any guesses about the percentage of BEAD that will be awarded to fiber or other technologies. It’s clear that a lot of State Broadband Offices (SBOs) still want to maximize the amount of awards made to fiber. We also know that overall eligible BEAD locations are being reduced by allowing a map challenge from wireless internet service providers (WISPs) that use unlicensed spectrum. There is also a new surprise rule that means that tentative grants awarded might still not be final. NTIA has made it clear to SBOs that it must be kept in the loop during the entire grant process. The ultimate touchpoint is that NTIA wants to see and approve every proposed grant award. There has been a lot of speculation that Commerce wants to significantly reduce the size of the $42.5 billion BEAD program, and having the final approval might be the mechanism for lowering grant outlays.