As a reminder, applications for Restructuring Round 1 of Missouri’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program are due by 5 p.m. CST on Thursday, July 24.
Application Resources
The Office of Broadband Development (OBD) has published several resources to help prepare Round 1 applications:
- A Notice of Policy Changes, indicating Missouri’s approach to new federal guidance
- An annotated list of BEAD-eligible locations and an explanation of Missouri’s approach to the mapping process ahead of Round 1
- A guide to the Round 1 application
All BEAD applicants are encouraged to review these documents before submitting. Applicants should also carefully review OBD’s published requirements for all components of this streamlined application. Failure to use the prescribed format may preclude OBD consideration of submitted applications.
New NTIA Guidance
Please note that new guidance from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) was issued on July 15 as a new version of their BEAD Frequently Asked Questions document.
The new guidance includes:
- An indication that NTIA will give state broadband offices “significant leeway” and “reasonable deference” in making priority broadband project determinations (3.23)
- A definition of the term “project cost” for the purpose of comparing submitted BEAD applications as the per-location Federal cost of a submitted project
- This is calculated by subtracting the proposed match from the total project cost and then dividing that figure by the proposed number of BEAD-eligible locations to be served
- This means that applicants that remove BEAD-eligible locations under OBD’s guidance will result in a higher project cost for the purpose of project selection (3.28)
NTIA has further required OBD to remove the following language from OBD’s Notice of Policy changes:
Applicants may submit multiple applications proposing the use of different technologies to serve the same application areas. In cases where two of an applicant’s applications are in competition for the same application area such that, had the winning application not been submitted, the applicant’s other application would have been awarded, the applicant may choose to withdraw its winning application in favor of the runner-up application.
The document has been updated accordingly. The text appeared on pages 14 and 16.
We appreciate your hard work to prepare proposals for the BEAD program on this abbreviated timeline.
July Stakeholder Update
Join OBD on Friday, July 25, at 1 p.m. as we share and discuss our continued work of Connecting All Missourians!
This month, we’ll provide updates on ongoing programs, including the BEAD program, and highlight new Non-BSL Functionality on the Broadband Map.
Registration is now open here. For those unable to join us live, this webinar will be recorded and made available on our Broadband Resources webpage.
