The Vernonburg Group suggests that there is a “growing chorus” of participants in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program that would like the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to make creative use of the program’s remaining non-deployment funds.
It’s a lot of money — estimates put the total at about $21 billion — that the 56 eligible entities (the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories) could put to a great number of uses.
The post, written by Vernonburg Group’s Founder and CEO Paul Garnett and Chief Policy Officer Greg Guice, said that last November it proposed creation of a “rainy-day fund” for last-mile connectivity projects in unserved areas.
The Vernonburg Group piece notes that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), under which BEAD was created, said that remaining funds can be used to:
- Connect community anchor institutions
- Undertake data collection, broadband mapping, and planning
- Install internet and Wi-Fi infrastructure or provide reduced-cost broadband within multi-family residential buildings, with priority to unserved or lower-income buildings
- Promote broadband adoption, including programs to provide affordable internet-capable devices
- Undertake any use determined necessary by the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury to facilitate the goals of the Program
Beyond these “statutorily permitted uses,” the Vernonburg Group commentary also points to “NTIA-designated uses” of the BEAD non-deployment funds that are not enumerated by the IIJA, but fall within the power of the NTIA to authorize. These include workforce development, permitting reform, network resiliency, and next-generation 911 services.
The piece points to the benefits of wider broadband adoption, which include economic advancements, health savings, improved education outcomes, and transition of in-person to online activities.
“In sum, there are numerous ways in which NTIA and Eligible Entities can partner to fulfill the BEAD program’s statutory goals, which extend beyond deployment of last mile infrastructure,” the Vernonburg Group recommendations said.
“Through prudent stewardship of last-mile connectivity funding, NTIA has created a Digital Opportunity Dividend which can be used to push our digital economy forward. We should seize, not squander, that opportunity. The benefits are real and within reach.”
The NTIA may be listening. Last week, it held a two-hour virtual listening session in which about 50 speakers suggested ways to spend the surplus funds. Another session was scheduled for earlier this week.
Various senators and the Trump administration are still trading barbs over who will control the funds and under what conditions.
