WISPA to NTIA: Curb States' Fiber-Heavy BEAD Plans

Five states rely too much on fiber in their broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program plans, Wireless ISP Association CEO David Zumwalt said Tuesday in a letter to NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson. California, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina and New York will likely exhaust BEAD funds before connecting all unserved and underserved locations, warned Zumwalt: NTIA should direct the states to alter their proposals before the federal agency approves them. More than a dozen other state plans indicate they may lack money for non-deployment activities including digital equity projects, the wireless industry group’s CEO added: States could address the funding gap by deploying fixed wireless networks and setting an “appropriately low” extremely high cost per location threshold. Also, Zumwalt raised concerns with states that require up to five years of audited financial statements before applying for funds, “a gating criteria that will foreclose participation by many smaller broadband providers.”