Two more states — Michigan and Maine — are now accepting applications for funding in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) rural broadband program. In addition, Colorado plans to begin accepting applications for the state’s second round of BEAD funding on January 27.
Providers have until April 9 to apply for funding in Michigan, which has a total budget of over $1.5 billion in BEAD funding. The deadline to apply for funding in Maine, which has $272 million to award, is February 28.
The deadline in Colorado’s second round is February 28. Colorado was allotted $827 million in BEAD funding.
BEAD funding will cover some of the costs of deploying broadband to unserved and underserved locations.
The scoring criteria for the Michigan and the Maine programs include the categories required by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), such as “minimal BEAD program outlay,” fair labor practices, speed to deployment, affordability, “local support and community engagement,” and more.
Below are several aspects of each state’s program that caught our attention.
Michigan BEAD Applications
Michigan has an interesting scoring system for “scalability and resiliency.” Providers can get extra points for network or power source redundancies, the use of XGS-PON or 10 Gbps fiber broadband, a commitment to retrofitting or hardening their existing infrastructure, plans to deploy mobile coverage to locations currently lacking 4G and a commitment to burying at least 75% of fiber cables.
For the BEAD Program outlay category, providers can get extra points for covering 35% or more of project costs, rather than the minimum 25% required for most projects.
The state also will deduct points for applicants that request a waiver to deliver a low-cost service for more than $28 for applicants that don’t participate in Lifeline or $37.25 for applicants that participate in Lifeline.
Additionally, providers can gain two-thirds of a point for offering 24/7 real-time technical support, multiple language support or remote support options.
More details about Michigan’s scoring system can be found at this link.
Maine BEAD Applications
Maine also plans to offer extra points to applicants that agree to cover more than the 25% of costs required for most projects.
In its “Digital Equity and Inclusion Objectives” category, the state will award extra points for committing to offer a low-cost plan for five years to all locations in the state, not just those eligible for the low-cost plan. In addition, providers can get extra points for committing to serve any unserved community anchor institutions with 1 Gbps symmetrical service.
Interestingly, providers can also get extra points for identifying multi-dwelling units (MDUs) within the project area and providing specific plans to deliver service to all individual units within the MDUs.
Details about Maine’s BEAD scoring criteria can be found at this link.
The state previously did a prequalification process for providers wanting to apply for BEAD funding. Those providers are:
- Axiom Technologies
- Charter Communications
- Consolidated Communications
- Comcast
- GWI
- INTUS Group
- LCI Fiber
- Outer Reach Broadband
- Pioneer Broadband
- Project Kuiper (Amazon)
- Rivahnet (Union River Telephone)
- Sebago Fiber
- Starlink (SpaceX)
- UniTel (Direct Communications)
- UScellular
- Wireless Partners
Colorado’s Second Round of BEAD Funding
Colorado made several changes for its second round of BEAD funding, which the state broadband office outlined in an email:
- A new list of eligible locations is forthcoming.
- Providers will no longer be required to provide 100% coverage to all broadband serviceable locations in a project area. Applicants will be allowed to exclude certain high-cost locations from the application.
- The price for providers’ low-cost service option was raised from $30 to $50.
- Eligible applicants are the same as for the first round. Eligible applicants that didn’t apply in the first round may do so in the second round.
- Alternative technology guidelines were updated to match the guidelines released recently by NTIA.
Additional information about the second round of Colorado BEAD funding can be found at this link.
