Five more eligible entities submitted Volume 1 of their initial proposal to NTIA in the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity and Deployment (BEAD) rural broadband funding program in just one week. The proposals were submitted for guidance and feedback.
Forty-nine of the 56 eligible entities now have taken the step — up from 44 last week.
Eligible entities include all 50 states, five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.
Details can be found on the BEAD Initial Proposal Progress Dashboard, which aims to help eligible entities navigate the BEAD process and to keep interested parties aware of their progress.
In all, the 56 eligible entities have completed 104 phases, with almost half (27) completing two.
As of October 25, the most advanced eligible entities — with seven of eight phases complete — are Louisiana and Virginia. On the other end of the spectrum, seven eligible entities (Alabama, District of Columbia, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and U.S. Virgin Islands) have not begun the process, according to NTIA, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Other highlights from the latest update of the dashboard include:
- Six states have completed five or more milestones: Louisiana, Virginia, Delaware, Kansas, Ohio and Vermont;
- 24 (five more than last week) states and territories have also shared Volume 2 with NTIA for guidance and feedback;
- 46 (15 more than last week) states and territories have released Volume 1 for public comment;
- 24 (nine more than last week) states and territories have also released Volume 2 for public comment;
- Eight states have submitted Volume 1 to NTIA for approval;
- Two states (Louisiana and Virginia) have submitted both volumes and have won Volume 1 approval from NTIA.
Eligible entities were alerted of their allocation on June 30, with proposals due on December 27. Once a proposal is accepted, the state or territory can request 20 percent or more of its allocated funding.
