17 Oct 2024

Round 1 of the BEAD Program to Open November 15

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DED’s Office of Broadband Development (OBD) has announced that the first application round for the Missouri Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program is scheduled to open on November 15, 2024.

Round 1 applications will close at 5 p.m. on January 31, 2025. In response to feedback from potential BEAD applicants, OBD requested and received a variance from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to allow a longer window for Round 1 applications than proposed in Missouri’s approved Initial Proposal Volume II.

Round 1 BEAD pre-qualification applications are currently open and will close at 5 p.m. on January 16, 2025. Pre-qualification applications will be available for submission during each scoring round and sub-round until 15 days before the round or sub-round closes.

NTIA must approve OBD’s final list of BEAD-eligible locations before OBD can release a final Application Area Map and open Round 1 of the BEAD program. If approval is not received by November 15, the opening of the round will be delayed.

Notifications of further guidance about Round 1 of the BEAD application process and the publication of Missouri’s BEAD Application Area Map will be posted on OBD’s Connecting All Missourians webpage and sent via email to broadband stakeholders. LEARN MORE…

6 Dec 2022

Office of Broadband Encourages Participation in FCC Challenge Process

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Missourians have until January 13 to file challenges to newly released maps of broadband coverage to be considered when determining Missouri’s share of federal broadband funding. The Office of Broadband Development encourages Missourians to make sure their homes, businesses, and communities are correctly represented on the maps to ensure locations are eligible for funding and receive their fair share.

The FCC map will determine how much of more than $42 billion in funding will come to the state through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, a component of the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act (IIJA). In 2023, Missouri will use BEAD funding for its Connecting All Missourians initiative, which aims to provide high-quality internet to every home and business statewide. Read more…