Agencies Aim to Collaborate Better on Infrastructure Funds
Federal departments are applying lessons learned from NTIA’s broadband technology opportunities program (BTOP) and the Rural Utilities Service’s broadband initiatives program (BIP) to new infrastructure funding, officials said at an FCBA webinar Thursday. Georgia, Virginia and Minnesota broadband officials said they will be ready for NTIA’s broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program.
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As NTIA implements a $65 billion broadband program, it's considering best practices and lessons learned from its administration of BTOP a decade ago, said Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives Director Scott Woods: Many current staffers and leaders worked on that program, so "we do have that institutional knowledge" and are looking at "what we could do better.” NTIA now works better with other agencies, and available data has improved by “light years,” he said. "We were really segmented” before, looking at infrastructure expansion and digital inclusion separately, but now the agency takes an integrated approach, he said.
"We're in a different reality," said Edyael Casaperalta, RUS senior policy adviser. The biggest lesson for RUS was to increase collaboration, she said. “It's all hands on deck,” with USDA focused on ensuring rural areas aren't left behind, she said.
NTIA is "engaging in listening right now" and will be "championing collaborative approaches" as it implements the law, said Woods. A request for comments on BEAD will come “shortly,” he said. The FCC’s timing developing maps “won’t hold us up” from releasing a BEAD notice of funding opportunity, said Woods.
Mapping is a "necessary part" of federal broadband efforts, but money from the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund is meant for economic stimulus and therefore needs to be "impactful as soon as possible," said the department’s Senior Broadband Policy Adviser Jeffrey Sural. "We're full steam ahead," though FCC maps “should be incredibly helpful in the future.”
Congress’ choice of an NTIA/states approach got kudos from state officials on another panel. “It’s a super low bar that NTIA will have to clear just because, frankly, the FCC grant programs have been a disaster in the past,” said Kyle Rosner, deputy broadband adviser for Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D). “They’ve actually hindered progress in our case.” NTIA already has a good relationship with states through its state broadband leaders network, he said. The FCC didn’t comment.
Virginia won’t need to rely on BEAD funding, said Rosner. Northam plans to announce more broadband awards next week as part of $700 million from the American Rescue Plan Act that the governor announced in July with a goal to universalize broadband by 2024, said Rosner. Virginia so far awarded $124 million to connect 140,000 locations, and after next week’s awards, 70 out of 95 counties will be able to achieve universal coverage, he said. Virginia will switch next month to a Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, but broadband is bipartisan and it “would be lunacy for him not to finish the job,” said the Northam official.
The Georgia Technology Authority is developing the state’s strategy for coming broadband infrastructure dollars, said Joshua Hildebrandt, broadband initiatives director. The executive branch agency wants to ensure it targets areas that haven’t already received support, he said. Its state broadband map will be an advantage, Hildebrandt noted. "Everybody knows where Georgia does not have service." The more flexibility states get to use infrastructure dollars, the better, he said.
Minnesota knows how to run a successful grant program, said Diane Wells, Office of Broadband Development deputy director in the state’s Department of Employment and Economic Development. “We’re pretty well prepared. It’s just going to be keeping track of where projects have been awarded with all the different funding.” Wells expects high interest considering how much money will be available: "I don't think we'll have any trouble awarding grants.”