Washington State opens the Benefit of the Bargain application round for $1.2 billion in BEAD funding

The Washington State Broadband Office opened its Benefit of the Bargain Broadband Equity Access and Deployment funding application, with applications due by July 23. The BEAD program is open to cooperatives, nonprofit organizations, public-private partnerships, private companies, public or private utilities, public utility districts, and local and tribal governments. To meet new federal requirements, this funding availability will include all areas that received a preliminary award in the first and second rounds. The new requirements required us to rescind the preliminary awards. Previous applicants can reapply by using their application from earlier rounds or updating it before submission. Projects must serve areas identified and approved through the BEAD process. Commerce posted BEAD construction project area maps that detail unserved and underserved locations across the state eligible for BEAD funding.