NTIA Middle-Mile Funding to Go Out 'Early Next Year,' Precision Ag Task Force Told

The FCC Precision Ag Task Force met virtually Monday to hear updates from the FCC, NTIA and the Rural Utilities Service on some of the upcoming federal broadband programs funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The group also heard from the working group leaders about items they plan to address during this term.

Discussing NTIA’s $65 billion in IIJA broadband funding, Russell Hanser, director-communications policy initiatives, NTIA Office of Policy Analysis, said the agency will release its broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program and middle-mile broadband infrastructure program’s notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) by May 16. The FCC will release its new maps before states’ initial proposals are due for BEAD, Hanser said: "A lot of this really depends on the FCC maps.”

Applications for the middle-mile program will open "fairly quickly" and money will "start going out early next year," Hanser said. It will "be the first money going out for actual infrastructure," he said. NTIA plans to release a notice of funding opportunity for its digital equity grant programs in "mid-May to early June," Hanser said. "It could be the same day as the BEAD NOFO," he said, noting it "depends on the review process."

The data mapping working group plans to address maps of unserved areas and interagency partnerships on data collection and sharing, said WG Chair Sreekala Bajwa, Montana State University College of Agriculture and Montana Agricultural Experiment Station vice president-dean and director. The group will also consider whether the broadband serviceable location fabric will cover agricultural structures, Bajwa said.

The examining current and future connectivity demand working group asked the FCC and other agencies to “summarize any actions or movement that has taken place" since the task force issued its last report, said WG Chair Heather Hampton-Knodle, Knodle Farms vice president-secretary. The group also sought information about any public or industry feedback on the report, she said (see 2201130056). Working group members are interested in examining how to drive connectivity and serve “farmers across the board,” Hampton-Knodle said.

The accelerating broadband deployment on unserved agricultural lands WG planned several meetings to hear from experts on “deployment in different technologies,” said WG Chair Jennifer Manner, including fiber, satellite and wireless technologies. The group will consider whether additional recommendations should be made after reviewing those that were in the task force’s last report. Task force Chair Teddy Bekele, Land O'Lakes chief technology officer, encouraged all working groups to seek expert presentations.

The encouraging adoption and availability of high-quality jobs WG identified affordability, digital literacy, automation’s impact on labor shortages, cybersecurity and data privacy as items to address during this term, said the group's chair, Paige Wireless President Julie Bushell. The group will also focus on the “metrics that the [FCC] can use” and “metrics of how we will be measuring our success for precision ag adoption,” Bushell said. Bekele noted the task force will try to have cybersecurity experts address the full group. The full task force is expected to meet again in July, Bekele said.

An application cycle will open "later in the calendar year" for RUS’ distance learning and telemedicine grant program, acting Administrator Chris McLean told the group. The agency's rural broadband program doesn't have an open application window now because of the ReConnect program, McLean said, noting a new award cycle will open after receiving funding through the infrastructure law.

RUS "obligated well over $1 billion" in its first two rounds of funding for more than 180 projects through the ReConnect program, McLean said, noting "some of them are actually starting to cut over to service right now." RUS made more than $1 billion available for the third round of the program, he said. The agency will award $700 million in grants, setting aside $350 million with no match requirement for tribes and socially vulnerable communities, McLean said.

The group also heard from Wireline Bureau staff on Connect America Fund (CAF) programs. One member asked whether CAF and Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction awards caused overbuilding. Lauren Garry, attorney adviser-Wireline Bureau Telecom Access Policy Division, said RDOF Phase I recipients were asked to review whether there was any overbuilding in the areas they won. There was “a decent amount," Garry said, adding she couldn’t say whether the overbuilding was inadvertent.