2023-11-28 19:32:40
A plethora of states and territories are accepting public comments for their statewide draft digital equity plans and Broadband, Equity, and Deployment (BEAD) program initial proposals, as required by the BEAD program.
A webpage on the NTIA’s BroadbandUSA website is dedicated to the postings of public comment periods for BEAD plans and proposals from all states and territories, including the District of Columbia.
Of the 56 states and territories listed, 18 of them had public comment periods open for both volumes of their respective initial BEAD proposals at the time of publication.
Some states, like Mississippi, elected to hold public comment periods for their five-year plan, although not required to do so.
“Public engagement, stakeholder coordination, and transparency are a central part of working to close the digital divide,” a summary of the public comment process on NTIA’s website stated. “Both of NTIA’s state-formula grant programs, BEAD and the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Programhave public disclosure and comment requirements to facilitate community engagement and input into each state and territory’s plans and proposals for using grant funds.”
States and territories with comment periods for both volumes of their BEAD proposal closing in December include Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Hawaii, Alabama, Iowa, the District of Columbia, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Texas.
Some states, like Florida, are only accepting comments on one volume of their BEAD proposal.
Florida’s BEAD Initial Proposal Volume I “addresses four BEAD requirements, including FloridaCommerce’s plan for the challenge process, identifying existing broadband funding, listing unserved and underserved locations throughout the state, and defining Community Anchor Institutions,” according to FloridaCommerce, which houses the state’s broadband office.
Comments on the first volume of Florida’s BEAD proposal will be accepted until Dec. 22. According to FloridaCommerce’s Nov. 21 announcement, the second volume of the state’s proposal is “part of Florida’s plan to operationalize more than $1.16 billion in BEAD funding.”
The second volume of Florida’s initial BEAD proposal is available for review onlineaccording to FloridaCommerce.
In the case of states like Indiana, the comment period on the first volume of their BEAD proposal has already closed and comments on the second volume are being sought.
Other states, like Illinois, whose comment periods ended in October, have long since wrapped up their comment periods for both volumes of their statewide initial BEAD proposals.
A full assortment of comment period deadlines by state and links to individual statewide initial BEAD proposals, digital equity plans, and five-year action plans, can be found here, on the NTIA’s website.
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