7 GOP Senators Urge NTIA Allow BEAD Grants to Fund Unlicensed Wireless Service
Sen. Steve Daines of Montana led a Tuesday letter with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and five other Senate Republicans urging NTIA to allow states to use their broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program grants to pay for unlicensed…
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wireless service, which the agency’s notice of funding opportunity guidance doesn’t currently allow (see 2205130054). “It is our hope that NTIA will issue further guidance to states and territories so that they have ample flexibility to consider locations with access to broadband services provided exclusively over unlicensed spectrum as served,” the senators wrote NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson. “We encourage NTIA to revise the NOFO’s definition of reliable broadband service to include broadband provided exclusively over unlicensed spectrum.” Different “states, regions, communities and differing terrain will require different solutions” to improve broadband connectivity, the Republicans said: “Removing options off the table will result in communities being left behind. Solutions that work in urban areas may not work in rural America where farms and homes can be miles apart. Likewise, what works in flat terrain, may not work well in mountainous areas. It is important that NTIA allow all broadband providers and technology to compete in order to ensure that we finally close the digital divide.” NTIA didn’t comment.