Will BEAD fund RDOF overbuilds? It’s complicated

Lingering concerns about whether money from the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program will be used to fund overbuilds of other government-subsidized projects flared up again recently. Concerns seemed to center on what BEAD will mean for those receiving funding from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program. So, what do federal officials have to say about it all? Asked for clarification, an National Telecommunications and Information Administration spokesperson said that the rules for the BEAD program specify that locations may not be counted as un- or underserved if they’re “subject to an enforceable federal, state or local commitment to deploy qualifying broadband.” When it comes to RDOF specifically, locations will be considered as having an enforceable commitment if the Federal Communications Commission has authorized funding to cover them. When asked what percentage of RDOF locations might be eligible for BEAD funding, the NTIA spokesperson said  “We don’t have figures on this…[but] any overlap between the programs is minimal.”