Montpelier, Vermont – The Vermont Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Pre-proposal portal is now open, officially opening the VT-BEAD Subrecipient Selection process. BEAD is a federal program that provides $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment, and adoption programs in all states and territories. Vermont’s allocation of those funds is almost $229 million.
Internet service providers (ISPs) interested in submitting an application for the VT-BEAD Program must submit a Pre-proposal through the Pre-proposal portal between now and January 9, 2025, at noon. Prospective applicants can find a link to the portal at VCBB BEAD ArcGIS Hubsite where they will also find BEAD eligibility data, guidance documentation, and a portal demonstration video.
The opening of the Pre-proposal portal also marks the beginning of the federally mandated quiet period, during which prospective applicants are blocked from communicating with each other or publicly about their bidding strategies. Please refer to VT-BEAD Initial Proposal Volume 2, the VT-BEAD Request for Applications, and the BEAD Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for guidance on the quiet period, all of which you can find on our website. That’s where you can also find additional resources on the BEAD Program, including the post-challenge BEAD eligibility data using the new VT fabric (matched Vermont E-911 IDs and Broadband Serviceable Location IDs) and including post-challenge enforceable commitments that have been awarded through November 2024.
VCBB will hold office hours for technical or programmatic issues on Friday, December 6, 2024, at 11:00am – 12:00pm. The link to attend the virtual office hours is on our website.
The Pre-proposal portal will remain open until January 9, 2025, at noon. If you would like to be added to the VCBB’s direct communications on this issue, or if you have programmatic questions, please email [email protected]. Please send any portal function-related questions to [email protected].
