NTCA, FBA Unveil New BEAD 'Playbook' for States
NTCA and the Fiber Broadband Association unveiled an updated playbook Wednesday with guidance for state broadband offices as they work toward meeting NTIA's Dec. 27 deadline to submit initial proposals for the broadband, equity, access and deployment program (see 2203040049).…
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To date, 51 states and territories have submitted volume one of their proposals and 43 have submitted volume two, per an NTIA dashboard. The playbook, written by telecom consulting research firm Cartesian, highlights four of the "most challenging BEAD proposal requirements," the groups said. It includes guidance on permitting, achieving digital opportunities, broadband mapping challenges, and cybersecurity and supply chain risk management. The playbook is "fundamental to every state’s funding implementation plans, so we want to ensure each state broadband office is able to address these policy elements confidently and correctly,” FBA CEO Gary Bolton said: "Our goal is to ensure that states can implement BEAD in ways that will have meaningful and lasting impacts.” NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield said the playbook "contains critical guidance for state broadband offices as they craft their initial proposals and look to make a lasting impact on broadband access.” The BEAD program is "a historic opportunity to deliver broadband to unserved and underserved areas, and it is critical that we leverage these resources to build networks that will keep pace with consumer needs for decades to come," Bloomfield said.