BEAD State Planning Grants Likely to Be Awarded in September: NTIA Official

NTIA “hit a major milestone” in getting every state and territory committed to participating in the agency’s broadband, equity, access and deployment program and digital equity program, said Administrator Alan Davidson during a National Urban League webinar Tuesday (see 2208170031). "The hard work begins” now as states put together their plans, Davidson said. “This is an all-hands-on deck moment,” he said: “We need everybody's help.” The agency is reviewing states and territories’ applications to “be able to start to fund their state planning grants next month,” said NTIA Director-Public Engagement Mark Colon.

Community leaders and organizations should “get to know who your state broadband office is or the designated entity” responsible for developing state plans for NTIA’s programs, said Connected Nation Vice President-Digital Inclusion Heather Gate: “The time is now to start getting involved.” Colon noted organizations can contact a federal program officer designated to assist their state broadband office if they “feel that they’re not being represented or heard” in the planning process.

The FCC expects to release additional information this fall about the affordable connectivity program’s “Your Home, Your Internet” federal public housing pilot program, said Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Chief Alejandro Roark (see 2208050023). The commission also expects to release a notice of funding opportunity in the fall for the ACP’s outreach grant program, Roark said. A “successful digital inclusion program is one that is local, that is grassroots, that meets the people where they are,” Gate said. Roark noted the FCC’s outreach grant program was kept broad because community advocacy organizations are the “trusted voices, and we want you to really feel comfortable to develop a strategy that you know will work for the populations that you serve.”

“It's really important to meet communities where they are,” said T-Mobile Vice President-Strategic Alliances and External Affairs Clint Odom, and “companies that do wireless can really reach just about everywhere." ACP funding “will go away,” Odom said, and “when it does, you have to be able to figure out which of these services best meets the needs and the budget of your family.”

There’s “a lot of work” to be done in bridging the digital divide and “we all play a role,” said AT&T Director-Federal Regulatory Anisa Green. Providers need to think about “being creative with what we are trying to do in order to bridge the digital divide,” said Verizon Director-External Affairs Michele Cober. The company’s ACP outreach included partnering with organizations to “effectively reach people and get them to sign up,” she said.

Charter is “very interested in working with community partners in markets where we have service,” said Vice President-External Affairs Nicole Lazarre: Affiliates are “the bridge in the community that have a key role in achieving these transformative outcomes.” Now is a “once in a lifetime, once in a generation type of moment,” said Comcast Associate Vice President-External Affairs Sean Mickens, and “we want to continue to be thought leaders and partners” in closing the digital divide.