The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved the initial plans of the states of New York and Wyoming, for how they expect to use their respective portions of federal funding to expand broadband services.
New York was allocated more than $664 million in funding from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, while Wyoming received more than $347 million.
The approvals of the BEAD plans mean that the states now can request access to their BEAD funds and start implementation of their programs.
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson said that the approvals mean that the states “can move their Internet for All efforts from planning to action.”
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All U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia submitted their initial plans at the end of last year for the $42.5 billion in BEAD funds. Those plans are being approved on a rolling basis; 35 states and territories have completed all 10 necessary phases for their plans to be approved.
NTIA noted that once deployment goals are met, “any remaining funding can be used on high-speed Internet adoption, training, and workforce development efforts, among other eligible uses.”
There is still another phase of proposal, however; as NTIA explained, one year from the approval of the initial proposals, the states and territories have to submit a “final proposal” that lays out how they chose to pass on their funding to sub-grantees for actual deployment, as well as how the state will ensure “universal coverage.”
“New York is taking a giant leap forward in our mission to connect every corner of our state to affordable, reliable and equitable broadband and improve the quality of life for millions of New Yorkers,” said Governor Kathy Hochulm in a statement. “The approval of ConnectALL’s BEAD Volume II plan is an important milestone in New York’s mission to ensure that all New Yorkers will have access to high-speed internet, which is a necessity in today’s modern world. We are grateful for the ongoing support and partnership from the Biden-Harris administration.”