Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program | NTIA BEAD 2022

Opportunity Information: Apply for NTIA BEAD 2022

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program is a federal grant opportunity administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) under the U.S. Department of Commerce. It was created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (also called the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), specifically Division F, Title I, Section 60102. Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), NTIA lays out how it will award BEAD funds and what requirements applicants must follow. The core purpose of the program is to significantly expand access to high-quality broadband service across the United States and its territories, while also supporting the planning and groundwork needed to do that effectively and equitably.

BEAD funding is aimed at a broad set of activities tied to improving broadband outcomes. The program is not limited to building networks; it also supports broadband planning, deployment, mapping work to better identify where service is lacking, and initiatives that address equity and adoption. In practical terms, this means the program is structured to help governments and communities not only construct broadband infrastructure in areas that need it most, but also to remove barriers that prevent people from subscribing to and using broadband, such as affordability challenges, limited device access, or lack of digital skills. The emphasis on equity signals that the program is intended to close persistent gaps for rural communities, low-income households, and other historically underserved groups.

A central concept in BEAD is the focus on "unserved" locations. For BEAD purposes, unserved locations are broadband-serviceable locations that do not have access to "Reliable Broadband Service" meeting at least 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds, with latency low enough to support real-time, interactive applications (for example, video conferencing, remote learning, telehealth, and other two-way services that are sensitive to delay). This definition matters because it drives how funds are distributed and where deployment efforts are expected to concentrate. The NOFO indicates that allocations are primarily based on the relative number of these unserved locations in each state or territory, meaning jurisdictions with larger unmet needs generally receive larger allocations.

The program is designed to reach every part of the country through awards to eligible governmental entities. Eligible applicants are the entities specifically identified in Section 60102(a)(2)(F) of the Infrastructure Act: all fifty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The NOFO also notes that, in certain circumstances, political subdivisions of states and territories may be involved, reflecting that implementation can require coordination across state, local, and territorial levels. In other words, while NTIA awards the grants to these designated eligible entities, the work on the ground can involve partnerships and sub-awards depending on how each jurisdiction designs its program.

BEAD includes guaranteed minimum funding levels to ensure every eligible jurisdiction receives meaningful support, even if the number of unserved locations is relatively small compared to other places. Each state is eligible for a minimum of $100,000,000, and each territory is eligible for a minimum of $25,000,000. Beyond those minimums, additional funding is distributed based on need as measured by unserved locations. This structure is meant to balance fairness (every state and territory gets a substantial baseline) with impact (more resources flow to places with greater service gaps).

From the source opportunity record, this is a discretionary grant program with Funding Opportunity Number "NTIA BEAD 2022" and CFDA number 11.035. It was posted May 13, 2022, with an original closing date of July 18, 2022. The opportunity is categorized under "Science and Technology and other Research and Development" as the funding activity category, reflecting the technical and infrastructure-focused nature of broadband deployment and related planning and mapping work. Overall, the BEAD NOFO is the federal roadmap for how NTIA intends to move large-scale infrastructure law investments into state and territorial broadband programs that prioritize unserved areas and promote equitable, widespread adoption of reliable high-speed internet.

• The National Telecommunications and Information Admini in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.035.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-05-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-07-18. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for NTIA BEAD 2022

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