Navigating BEAD Changes at the State Level

How are state offices navigating the changes to the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program? “We stopped the trains on [June 6] when we saw [the news] pop at noon,” said Misty Ann Giles, director of the Department of Administration and chief operating officer for the state of Montana. Giles said her staff has been meeting regularly, “unpacking the new guidance, and meeting with our Communication Advisory Commission members.” Her team’s top priority is to better understand the timelines outlined in the new guidelines. “The NOFO [Notice of Funding Opportunity] says 30 days and 90 days. But we’re not getting data for 14 days, so we’re trying to get some clarity on the nuances of those technical details, because they matter when you’re talking about a 90-day time ticker.” Once Giles and her team have more clarity on the timelines, their next goal will be to launch the public notice for unlicensed fixed wireless (ULFW) providers. Giles says Montana will give ULFW providers seven days “to let us know if they have service, and what those locations are, and if they plan to continue service.” After that, the state will revisit its BEAD application scoring matrix, because “the new guidance essentially eviscerates the old scoring matrix.”