Starting November 1, broadband industry leaders, especially providers, are breathing a collective sigh of relief as NTIA officials have provided a <a href="https://broadbandbreakfast.com/2023/11/ntia-will-allow-alternatives-to-letter-of-credit-for-bead-funding-in-new-guidance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">programmatic waiver</a> providing states and territories with more options to ensure the financial reliability of BEAD grants.BEAD grant recipients, under previous rules, were required to produce a <a href="http://Letter of Credit" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Letter of Credit</a> for a 25% of the total award amount from an FDIC-insured bank with a Weiss rating of B- or better, unless specified by BEAD rules. This required putting substantial sums of cash as collateral which often prevented smaller and minority-owned providers from participating.NTIA’s waiver provides numerous changes to the Letter of Credit requirements that aim to enhance access to funding, including allowing states to utilize a <a href="https://broadband.money/broadband-grant-terms/performance-bonds-for-bead-grants" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">performance bond</a> for the full award amount.Performance bonds are a new chapter for the broadband sector with their full adoption pending the results of a national working group led by the <a href="https://www.nasbp.org/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Association of Surety Bond Producers,</a> or NASPB, and <a href="https://surety.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Surety and Fidelity Association of America</a>, or SFAA.The working group is expected to release its results in either the first or second quarter of 2024.<div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/bbm-public-bucket/Lo_C_Performance_Bond_4d7bb4ad13/Lo_C_Performance_Bond_4d7bb4ad13.svg" alt="Performance Bonds"></div><h2>What are performance bonds?</h2>Performance bonds are surety bonds issued by an insurance company or bank that guarantees successful completion of a project. Performance bonds are most commonly used in the construction industry, legal sectors in the form of appeal bonds and some licensed occupations.Performance bonds allow the principal, such as an <a href="https://broadband.money/broadband-grant-terms/isp-or-provider" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">internet service provider</a>, &nbsp;to be protected for the full cost of the project by the surety, or financial institution, that is providing the performance bond. The obligee, or entity requesting the work such as a municipality or state broadband office, in return, can file a claim against the bond to recover losses from uncompleted work.<h2>What’s the application process for a performance bond?</h2>Providers should first be sure to build relationships with surety providers prior to the application period. Read: This is not the time to procrastinate.Your first step should be to ask your company’s insurance provider to connect you with a surety agent that is familiar with the broadband sector. Having an agent with sector knowledge allows for productive conversations, accurate assessment of the application and its risks and, ultimately, the most beneficial terms for everyone involved.Be sure to take advantage of online resources such as <a href="https://broadband.money/start-broadband-grant-application" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Broadband.money</a> and <a href="https://www.beadbonding.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BEADbonding.com</a> which contain valuable resources on establishing BEAD-compliant contracts and performance bonds.Applicants will be expected during the submission process to provide business credit information and financial documents for an understanding of the applicant’s financial position. Sureties will also want information about the applicant’s progress on related projects, project schedule and work capacity.Some sureties might expect a pledge of collateral or cash funds depending on the size of the bond and the company’s track record with past projects.Surety agents will guide applicants through the entire underwriting process with bond costs ranging from 2%-6% of the total project cost or, in the case of BEAD, award amount.Approval timelines vary on a case-by-case basis. Smaller bonds, usually under $1 million, can be approved in a matter of hours, especially if the applicant has strong credit and is in a strong financial position. Larger bonds of up to $10 million can take up to two weeks.<h2>How are performance bonds being used in broadband?</h2>The national working group led by the NASPB and SFAA are working with the NTIA, states, ISPs, &nbsp;and other government entities to tailor guidelines for how performance bonds can be utilized with the BEAD program.Among the biggest challenges are reaching a middle ground between what language is acceptable to the NTIA for bonding purposes but also ensuring that bonds are able to still provide value to both applicants and grantors.<h2>What comes next?</h2>Grantors must become aware of their responsibilities surrounding performance bonds, such as awareness of project progress and ensuring that projects are completed in a timely manner. Failure to fill these responsibilities could potentially result in a bond being unable to be called upon.Applicants must become familiar with performance bonds and take preliminary steps to take advantage of them as soon as they are available. This includes being aware of their benefits, such as greater access to capital and diversity among applicants, and also a stronger assurance that the work will be done.Applicants should be sure to tap into numerous resources available from the broadband community, such as <a href="https://broadband.money/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Broadband.money</a> and <a href="http://broadband.io" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Broadband.io</a>.

A crash course on performance bonds for America’s leading broadband pros

Here’s what you need to know about performance bonds today.

Everything broadband pros need to know about performance bonds

Everything you need to know today about performance bonds

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Performance bonds 101 for Broadband Pros

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What Every Broadband Pro Should Know about Performance Bonds

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The surprise wasn’t what President Biden said about broadband in the East Room of the White House – it was that he said it in the East Room of the White House.As far as federal programs go, $42.5 billion isn’t nothing. But it isn’t a lot of money, either. I think the takeaway of yesterday’s announcement is that Biden (and Vice President Kamala Harris) want to be associated with improving Americans’ broadband.&nbsp;<h2>Parallels with rural electrification of three generations ago</h2>I was struck by the repeated mentions of the connection between the bipartisan infrastructure law and the 1936 Rural Electrification Act passed during the administration of Franklin Roosevelt.The 1936 law intended to bring electricity to nearly every home and farm in America, the administration noted.&nbsp;“High-speed internet is the new electricity,” the White House noted in the first page of its briefing guide.&nbsp;“Today, roughly 8.5 million locations across America aren’t connected to the internet. The Biden-Harris Administration is going to close that gap. As a result of once-in-a-generation funding in the President’s Investing in America agenda… to bring affordable, reliable, high-speed internet to everyone in America.”&nbsp;<h2>States learn that they win some and lose some</h2><a href="https://ready.net/state-broadband-office-resources/list-ntia-bead-broadband-grant-allocations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">States are still digesting their numbers released yesterday.</a>Some states, like Virginia, were pleased with their numbers – $1.48 billion. Other states, like Kansas, were disappointed – $451 million. The next step will be to compare the numbers released yesterday with the various industry and analyst projections that have been made.&nbsp;Critically important will be understanding why&nbsp;each state received their particular award – and the tools that state broadband offices need to manage the state challenge processes.&nbsp;<h2>Linkages to other aspects of the Biden administration’s Investing in America agenda</h2>Another thing I heard while I listened to Biden’s statements yesterday was how the president is doubling down on “Buy America” rules.In its briefing prior to the announcement, the administration highlighted how “President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is driving a manufacturing boom – in part because of provisions in the historic legislation passed by President Biden that requires made-in-America materials.”For example, they highlighted a recent announcement in North Carolina by fiber optic cable manufacturers Corning and CommScope announced $500 million and $47 million expansions of facilities earlier in the year.There are some thorny issues to address here, too. But as the broadband industry welcomes the implementation of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, in needs to be conscious of sorting through these challenges, too.

Parallels with rural electrification, states digest their awards, and learning to live with Buy America rules.

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Some early takeaways on the Biden administration’s BEAD allocation announcement

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No matter where you go grocery shopping in the United States nowadays, whether it’s the biggest of chain supermarkets to the smallest of mom n’ pop shops, you can count on one thing: nearly all the packaged food that you can buy will have clearly displayed, black and white nutrition labels printed on it listing the calories, total fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, and other ingredients.&nbsp;These standardized nutrition labels were actually created relatively recently as a&nbsp;<a href="https://he.utexas.edu/ntr-news-list/food-labels-history">result of the 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act</a>, designed to help consumers make fully informed shopping decisions, and to be able to accurately compare different food products to one another. Nearly all producers of packaged food in the U.S. must comply with these requirements. Now, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants to apply a similar kind of labeling to a very different product class: Broadband internet plans.&nbsp;The FCC has been working over the last six years on developing a plan for what precise information the new “Broadband Nutrition Labels” would include. There was a vigorous commentary between advocacy groups on how the agency could best help consumers, and how, when, and where providers would be required to display such labels.&nbsp;The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress in 2021 further spurred the process, as it directed the FCC to require standardized broadband plan labels from providers. On November 14, 2022, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-requires-broadband-providers-display-labels-help-consumers">FCC voted to enact them through a new order</a>. There will be some additional modifications pending further commentary, but the basic framework has been established.&nbsp;But high-speed internet plans are very different than food. What exactly is required in the FCC’s new Broadband Nutrition Labels? Which providers must comply? What information must providers display, when, where, and what are the possible penalties for failing to comply? Read on to learn more.In the meantime, Ready.net is working towards helping providers follow the FCC's broadband nutrition facts label requirement. Providers will be able to incorporate the relevant subscriber plan information in a broadband nutrition facts label in our relevant products in the near future.&nbsp;Where did the FCC post the new Broadband Nutrition Label requirements?The full 87-page-long order document detailing all of the new standardized requirements, as well as various rationale and refutations toward organizations challenging the FCC during the public hearings and comment period held over the course of 2022, can be found on various pages on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-requires-broadband-providers-display-labels-help-consumers">the FCC website</a>.&nbsp;The full order is&nbsp;<a href="https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-22-86A1.pdf">here</a>.The hearings are available&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fcc.gov/broadbandlabels">here</a>.&nbsp;Who must comply with the Broadband Nutrition Label order?All providers offering fixed and mobile broadband plans for individual consumers and households — that is, any company offering broadband service delivered to a single location, like cable internet installed at your home or apartment from Spectrum or Optimum or smaller local providers, and mobile device plans for phones and tablets, like the 5G service on your smartphone from carrier companies such as AT&amp;T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Cricket Wireless, etc.&nbsp;The notable exception to these requirements is for&nbsp;enterprise service plans: broadband access, fixed or mobile, that is only available to enterprise customers, such as businesses, nonprofits, schools, healthcare facilities, and other organizations. The FCC, for now, says that enterprise internet plans&nbsp;do not&nbsp;have to follow the Broadband Nutrition Labels.&nbsp;So, to review: for example, Verizon FiOS internet plans offered for households&nbsp;must comply with the new Broadband Nutrition Labels, while Verizon FiOS enterprise internet for organizations would&nbsp;not need to comply with them.&nbsp;Importantly,&nbsp;the order applies only to plans currently being offered to new customers and any new plans that may be offered by providers going forward. Older plans that have been discontinued, or current plans that are&nbsp;no longer available to purchase by new customers, do not need to have Broadband Nutrition Labels created for them.&nbsp;&nbsp;Finally, all Broadband Nutrition Labels must be retained by providers for a minimum of two years, according to the FCC.When do providers have to begin posting the Broadband Nutrition Labels?The FCC voted to adopt the new requirements in November 2022 and published a notice of its rulemaking in the <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/16/2022-26853/empowering-broadband-consumers-through-transparency">Federal Register on December 16, 2022</a>, with the rule going into effect on January 17, 2023. Nonetheless, the agency is still leaving the door open for replies to its own replies to previous comments until <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/16/2022-26853/empowering-broadband-consumers-through-transparency">next week Tuesday, February 14, 2023</a>.&nbsp;Large providers are required to publish their labels within six months. Smaller providers are required to publish their labels within one year ('smaller' providers are defined as those with 100,000 or fewer subscriber lines).&nbsp;Where must providers post their Broadband Nutrition Labels?&nbsp;&nbsp;According to the FCC, providers must display the nutrition labels for any and all available plans on “both ISP websites and any other channels through which their service is sold, including ISP-owned retail locations, third-party owned retail locations, and over the phone.”While the FCC leaves it up to the providers to choose the exact location on their website or physical media to display the Broadband Nutrition Labels, and how large or small the font size is, “providers should ensure that the labels are prominently displayed on any device on which the consumer accesses and views the labels, including mobile devices.”&nbsp;Notably, the FCC says that as soon as a customer provides their service address to any provider or their representatives, the provider should then display the label of any associated plans that are offered at that location.&nbsp;What information must the labels include?&nbsp;Perhaps the most critical piece of information for providers to consider is the actual content of the labels. The labels follow a fairly simple and similar looking format as the FDA food nutrition labels described above, but with different categories, including (in the following order):<ul><li>The provider company’s name at the top</li><li>The name of the particular plan being offered (whether it is a speed name or a brand name like TurboNet, for example)</li><li>Whether it’s a fixed or mobile internet plan</li><li>The plan’s price — including whether it is an introductory rate, and if so, how long that price lasts and what the successive rate will be, and whether it requires a contract, and for what length of time</li><li>Additional charges, including one-time installation fees or equipment fees, early termination fees, and taxes applied</li><li>Discounts offered by bundling the plan with other services (such as TV or phone)</li><li>Whether or not it qualifies as part of the separate Affordable Connectivity Program</li><li>The typical download and upload speeds in megabits-per-second, as well as latency in milliseconds (how long it&nbsp;<a href="https://frontier.com/resources/what-is-network-latency">takes data to transfer</a>)&nbsp;</li><li>The limits on how much data the plan allows the customer to transfer/access every month, and any overage charges (in gigabytes and price-per-gigabytes, respectively)&nbsp;</li><li>Links to network management and privacy policies</li><li>Customer support phone number or website</li><li>A link to the fcc.gov/consumer site</li><li>The plan’s unique identification number</li></ul>What do the new Broadband Nutrition Labels look like?The FCC requires that providers all follow the same format when posting their labels, including the same fields, colors (black and white), and arrangement of information. This is to ensure consumers can accurately compare plans side-by-side. The FCC included the following example format — though note that the red text is simply to show where providers must input their own information in black. Importantly: the order states that the information must be “machine readable,” that is, scannable by a computer program using optical character recognition (OCR), presumably to allow for other apps and software programs to help consumers compare plans.&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-align-center"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/bbm-public-bucket/Broadband_Nutrition_Label_1_cead8c9e23/Broadband_Nutrition_Label_1_cead8c9e23.png"></figure>What are the penalties for providers that fail to comply with the Broadband Nutrition Label order?&nbsp;The FCC does not specify what fines, fees or penalties providers that do not comply with the Broadband Nutrition Label order will face, instead deferring to its existing authority and enforcement mechanisms.As the order states, “we find that our existing enforcement mechanisms should enable us to enforce our new label requirements, including the accuracy of the label’s content and the sufficiency of its format and display location. We thus will use the identical procedures to enforce the broadband label requirements adopted here.”But what are those “existing enforcement mechanisms” and how would they apply to providers that are accused of running afoul of the labels, either in completeness, accessibility, or accuracy?&nbsp;The FCC has its own Enforcement Bureau that conducts investigations and may issue subpoenas to organizations and individuals accused of violating its requirements. It also has an Investigations &amp; Hearings Division responsible for taking “enforcement actions” against violators, including “forfeiture orders,” essentially a fine, the value of which is “case specific.”In footnotes of the Broadband Nutrition Label order, the FCC notes that penalties for violators should be “sufficient to deter noncompliance,” yet not so minimal “as to constitute a cost of doing business for providers,” suggesting they could be high.&nbsp;How will the FCC evaluate internet service plans to ensure they are complying with the information listed on the labels?The FCC doesn’t state whether it will on its own run any speed or latency tests on providers to ensure they are complying with the information provided in their labels.&nbsp;However, the order states that the agency will accept and investigate individual complaints from consumers “as vigorously as we do other informal complaints.” Consumers can file complaints using the&nbsp;<a href="https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us.">FCC’s existing online forms here</a>.&nbsp;Other enforcement actionsThere’s a possibility that the labels make providers subject to enforcement actions from other government entities, however.&nbsp;For example, state attorneys general across the country have said that they’re investigating providers who have engaged in a number of practices, such as enforcing data caps.Also, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has launched an investigation into Optimum Altice for allegedly misrepresenting its internet services.“The overwhelming number of complaints relate to consumers who have not received advertised speeds for Optimum 300 megabits per second and Optimum 400 megabits per second, cable internet plans they paid for,” Tong&nbsp;<a href="https://ctmirror.org/2022/11/22/ct-optimum-altice-internet-service-investigation/">said</a>.

Providers need to inform new customers what they're receiving for their subscriptions. Here are the facts.

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What the FCC's New Broadband ‘Nutrition Labels’ Require

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The numbers tell a stark story about America's digital divide. Despite being a global technology leader, millions of Americans still lack access to reliable high-speed internet – a basic utility that has become essential for education, healthcare, work, and daily life. This gap represents more than just a technological challenge; it's a fundamental barrier to economic opportunity and social equity in the 21st century.Enter the Broadband Equity, Access, and Development (BEAD) Program, a historic $42.5 billion federal investment designed to close this gap. While the program's scale is unprecedented, its success hinges on effective implementation at the state level. This is where Louisiana's story becomes particularly instructive. By partnering with Ready.net and leveraging their purpose-built software, Louisiana was able to transform their implementation approach.<img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcL_btRwVp7iLJReBaYJQrz79FJRV6wGby7zkC0XQT1UjGc8m0lfj0yGF0PwVTkDWbw7PXwREg9fsY-SDNWRR-2ulO9oUzP63ooiHnhd5UXT1QPwQokTa9cA9F6nTwqAYgrE4vg4w?key=QUaISKMzENGAFf6a3xUFiBe0">&nbsp;<h2>The Challenge: Making BEAD Work</h2>State broadband offices face a daunting task: they must evaluate hundreds of applications, manage complex funding allocations, and ensure fair competition while maintaining strict accountability for federal funds. Traditional manual processes can take months or even years, potentially delaying critical infrastructure deployment to communities in need.Louisiana's Office of Broadband Development &amp; Connectivity (ConnectLA) took a different approach. Established in spring 2021, the office learned valuable lessons from its initial GUMBO 1.0 grant program and recognized that BEAD's larger scale would require innovative solutions.&nbsp;<img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcn7kUsf1Ua3cTvrrKX3fA0zfu7QBpvkU9ZP3pQUQOAJ7upyD0O4gD5ueO4GeNVjYCmLM1vt8tmJKlj5PmhgIvtEqqoSt-DEJIfgTeUoGM4TNJMvYBjTQGDCXVput3UbLsEResehA?key=QUaISKMzENGAFf6a3xUFiBe0">&nbsp;<h2>Louisiana's Solution: Automation and Transparency</h2>Ready.net developed a comprehensive automated system for ConnectLA to manage BEAD implementation, providing the state with purpose-built software specifically designed for broadband programs. This wasn't just about using technology for technology's sake – Ready's platform created a scalable, transparent process that could handle the program's complexity while maintaining both speed and accuracy.The results were remarkable:<ul><li>The automated deconfliction process completed statewide review in just 5 days</li><li>The system processed over 700 applications across two rounds</li><li>The process prevented manual review of 250% more locations</li></ul>92% of locations were resolved through automated deconfliction enabled by Ready.net. Going forward, more states will be able to use Ready’s tools to handle automated deoconfliction, precluding the need for large, expensive teams.&nbsp;But perhaps most importantly, Louisiana's approach built trust through transparency. Every step of the process generated public data that could be independently verified. This transparency didn't just improve accountability – it actively prevented potential litigation by allowing stakeholders to validate results themselves.The Impact: Numbers That MatterLouisiana's implementation of BEAD has generated impressive results:<ul><li>140,000 locations will receive expanded broadband connectivity</li><li>95.4% of locations will receive fiber-based solutions</li><li>$623 million in total BEAD funding has been effectively allocated</li><li>The competitive process reduced funding requests by 19% between rounds</li></ul>Beyond these direct outcomes, the program is expected to generate:<ul><li>10,000 new jobs</li><li>$3 billion in revenue increases for Louisiana companies</li><li>60,000 rural households brought online</li><li>28,000 businesses brought online, including many small enterprises</li></ul><img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXehkqVenbc4P_qdAdkZY3TOICrQRV8XwPBmZ-Bh9Otv-Ns6bM9zM28c_UseE5bc1GzsrBZko7GkGmgRyj4gp_oHSg-YqgQ-1TmRrCPQZ12uBUUuAivKmBSvhHXTpBHltlqRccDd8Q?key=QUaISKMzENGAFf6a3xUFiBe0">&nbsp;<h2>Key Elements of Success</h2>Louisiana's success wasn't accidental. Several critical elements combined to make their approach effective:<h3>1. Sleek Program Design</h3>Utilizing Ready.net's innovative platform, instead of creating cumbersome application processes, ConnectLA opted for minimalist pre-qualification requirements and flexible project areas. They published clear funding benchmarks and let their automated systems handle the complex work of deconfliction and evaluation.<h3>2. Diverse Participation</h3>The program attracted a healthy mix of providers:<ul><li>78% small wireline providers</li><li>17% large wireline carriers</li><li>5% wireless/LEO providers</li></ul>This diversity ensured competitive bidding while maintaining high standards for service delivery.<h3>3. Financial Innovation</h3>The program's design included front-loaded disbursements and streamlined administrative processes, reducing barriers to participation while maintaining accountability.&nbsp;<h2>Lessons for Other States</h2>Louisiana's experience offers several key lessons for other states implementing BEAD:<ol><li>Automation is Essential Manual processes simply can't scale to handle BEAD's complexity efficiently. Ready.net's software platform proved essential for Louisiana's success, enabling the state to process applications and manage deployments at a scale that would have been impossible with traditional methods. Automated systems not only speed up implementation but also reduce errors and improve consistency. &nbsp;</li><li>Transparency Promotes Efficiency By making data public and processes verifiable, states can build trust and prevent costly delays from challenges or litigation. &nbsp;</li><li>Competition Works Louisiana's approach generated significant cost savings through competitive bidding while maintaining high standards for service delivery. &nbsp;</li><li>Design Matters Thoughtful program design that minimizes bureaucracy while maximizing accountability can attract more participants and better outcomes.</li></ol>&nbsp;<h2>Looking Forward</h2>Louisiana's implementation of BEAD demonstrates that with the right approach, states can efficiently manage complex broadband deployment programs while maintaining high standards and accountability. Their success provides a clear roadmap for other states facing similar challenges.The digital divide remains a significant national challenge, but Louisiana's experience shows that BEAD, when properly implemented with automated systems and transparent processes, can effectively address this challenge. Through their partnership with Ready.net, Louisiana demonstrated how purpose-built software can transform broadband deployment programs. As other states begin their own BEAD implementations, Louisiana's model offers valuable lessons for turning federal funding into actual broadband deployment efficiently and effectively.<img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfSgRHasNn0vNe3qPeDl6x7meMd5TRRUoU7mx0CQvYCONw8QCiZU8kX1BNMFQdVLYqK2ZqbeQ9rRhi__fEGX0lHLC-0vsEskTB9oWuGeeiv4iPIgUTXfpOzlhm0rs4RKkrevf5Ebw?key=QUaISKMzENGAFf6a3xUFiBe0">

The $42.5 billion BEAD Program aims to close America’s digital divide, ensuring equitable access to high-speed internet. Louisiana demonstrates effective implementation through innovative approaches and strategic partnerships.

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Bridging the Pelican State’s Digital Divide: How Ready Enabled a Transparent, Automated Approach to Louisiana’s BEAD Implementation 

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<h1>Executive Summary</h1>When Mike Sanders walked into the Oklahoma Broadband Office in March 2023, he encountered a striking irony: the office tasked with deploying $1.3 billion in federal funds to expand broadband access across the state didn't have its own internet connection. This moment would come to symbolize both the scale of the challenge ahead and the office's remarkable journey from humble beginnings to implementing the largest broadband expansion in Oklahoma's history.<h2>Background and Context</h2><h3>Formation of the State Broadband Office</h3>The Oklahoma Broadband Office emerged from a legislative mandate to achieve 95% broadband coverage across the state. At the time Sanders assumed leadership, the FCC reported Oklahoma's coverage at 85%, with approximately 170,000 locations remaining unserved or underserved. The office faced a unique position in Oklahoma's governmental structure - operating as what Sanders describes as a "chameleon" agency. While required to follow state procurement rules and procedures, the office operates entirely on federal funding without state appropriations, creating both challenges and opportunities in its operations.<h3>Initial State of Operations</h3>The office began with just three remote employees and minimal infrastructure. There were no established procedures, policies, or even basic office necessities. Sanders recalls, "We were asked to build broadband with glue and toothpicks." This starting point emphasized the need for rapid but thoughtful organizational development.<h2>Leadership Philosophy and Approach</h2>Sanders brought a unique perspective to the role, shaped by his background in public service. Initially hesitant due to limited broadband expertise, he was drawn to the position by its potential impact on rural communities. "I'm a big picture guy," Sanders explains. "And I know what this is going to mean for Oklahomans, for generations to come."His leadership approach emphasizes:<ul><li>Pragmatic problem-solving</li><li>Transparent communication</li><li>Strong stakeholder relationships</li><li>Bipartisan cooperation, exemplified by his motto: "This isn't a red issue. This is not a blue issue. This is a red, white and blue issue."</li></ul><h2>Organizational Development and Capacity Building</h2>Under Sanders' leadership, the office underwent a rapid transformation from three remote employees to a fully-staffed agency of 21 professionals. This expansion included critical roles in:<ul><li>Grants management</li><li>Financial operations</li><li>GIS analysis</li><li>Legal counsel (requiring new legislation)</li><li>Communications and outreach</li><li>Technical support</li></ul>The growth wasn't just numerical - it represented a fundamental shift from what Sanders describes as the "wild wild west" to a structured organization with clear policies and procedures. This transformation was essential for managing the substantial federal funding entrusted to the office.<h2>Program Implementation and Early Successes</h2><h3>ARPA Funding Distribution</h3>One of the office's first major initiatives was the distribution of $374 million in ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The program achieved significant geographic coverage, with projects in 55 of Oklahoma's 77 counties. Currently, 54 of the 130 announced projects are under construction, positioning the state well to meet the December 2026 deadline.<h3>Strategic Infrastructure Development</h3>Recognizing gaps in the state's broadband infrastructure, the office allocated $35 million for middle-mile projects - a strategic decision to enable future last-mile deployments and strengthen the backbone of Oklahoma's broadband network. This investment was designed to support both current projects and upcoming BEAD program implementations.<h3>Capital Projects Fund Success</h3>In September 2024, the office announced that it was allocated approximately $158 million in CPF funds, supporting 50 projects across 12 Internet Service Providers. These projects, combined with $109 million in matching funds from ISPs, will connect approximately 28,000 Oklahoma homes and businesses to high-speed internet.<h2>Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships</h2><h3>Tribal Relations</h3>A critical component of the office's success has been its comprehensive engagement with Oklahoma's 39 federally recognized tribes. Despite complex jurisdictional challenges and disputed boundaries, the office prioritized reaching out to all tribal nations, recognizing their essential role in achieving universal broadband access.<h3>State and Federal Coordination</h3>The office navigates a unique position between state and federal requirements. Sanders' experience as a former state legislator has proved valuable in educating stakeholders about the office's federal funding structure while maintaining productive relationships with state leadership.<h2>Looking Forward: The BEAD Program and Beyond</h2>The office is taking an innovative approach to BEAD implementation through its "Network Expansion Territories" (NETs) strategy, and will draw project areas that combine both appealing and high-cost regions, ensuring more equitable coverage.Sanders maintains a pragmatic approach to technology solutions, estimating that while the majority of BEAD connections will be fiber, alternative technologies like licensed fixed wireless and satellite will play crucial roles in reaching the most challenging locations. This flexibility aligns with the office's goal of achieving universal access while being mindful of cost-effectiveness.<h2>Results and Impact</h2><h3>Quantitative Achievements</h3>In 2024 alone, the Oklahoma Broadband Office, working in partnership with ISPs, directed $625 million toward broadband infrastructure - marking the largest single-year investment in the state's history. This progress is visible in communities across Oklahoma, with Sanders noting that residents are seeing "tangible items... the orange spools of fiber and the conduit" - physical evidence of progress despite temporary construction inconveniences.<h3>Progress Toward Coverage Goals</h3>While the FCC currently reports 85% coverage across Oklahoma, the office is on track to exceed its legislative mandate of 95% coverage, with Sanders confident they'll "go north of that" once CPF and BEAD implementations are complete. This progress represents meaningful change in communities that previously lacked any high-speed internet access.<h2>Lessons Learned and Best Practices</h2><h3>Building from the Ground Up</h3><ol><li>Balance Immediate Action with Long-term Planning: The office demonstrated how to simultaneously handle urgent operational needs while building robust frameworks for future programs. Rather than taking a sequential approach, Sanders' team developed comprehensive strategies for multiple funding streams (ARPA, CPF, BEAD) while building internal capacity and maintaining stakeholder relationships. This parallel processing approach enabled the office to meet immediate deadlines while preparing for future opportunities.</li><li>Focus on People, Policies, and Procedures: Sanders emphasizes these three elements as crucial to the office's success, noting that establishing proper frameworks and hiring the right team members created a foundation for effective program implementation.</li></ol><ul><li>Take a measured approach to challenges: Sanders advocates for "continuing to block and tackle until we're told not to," rather than becoming paralyzed by uncertainty about federal programs or regulations.</li><li>Maintain flexibility in technology solutions: While prioritizing fiber deployment, the office remains open to alternative technologies for very high-cost, last-resort locations.</li><li>Focus on sustainable progress: The office has structured its programs to maintain workforce continuity across different funding sources, from ARPA through BEAD implementation.</li></ul><h2>Conclusion</h2>The Oklahoma Broadband Office's journey from a three-person remote team to a fully-functional agency managing over a billion dollars in federal funds demonstrates the importance of leadership, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement in successful broadband deployment. Sanders' vision of the program's generational impact is perhaps best captured in his own words: "I get chills when I talk about what we're doing because I know that in ten, 20 years we're going to have our hand on history... The kids and grandkids of people I see at ribbon-cutting events in rural Oklahoma, they're going to be part of something so special and so unique."The office's success in rapidly building capacity, establishing effective procedures, and maintaining strong stakeholder relationships while managing complex federal programs offers valuable lessons for other state broadband offices. Their experience demonstrates that with proper leadership and organizational development, even offices starting from minimal resources can effectively manage large-scale broadband deployment programs.Most significantly, the office's work extends beyond mere infrastructure deployment - it represents a transformation in Oklahoma's digital landscape that promises to enhance healthcare, education, tourism, and economic development for generations to come.<img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfMs8ERR3pWovIcBK_LlNij4CZr8cDwlJw5Id3UQfGvhDkkIwLA7WsGBajIvlX0g_hexBDkEK80wHJto0anAtw4WDmGAvmKyjDP3Qsy_ktQQgvHtFeEqjV7r60cx7XOZEQlmNIbIA?key=wOSKkWuqkTxxerE1S0W7YGPA">

The Oklahoma Broadband Office, led by Mike Sanders, has rapidly transformed from a three-person team with no internet connection into a powerhouse managing over $1.3 billion in federal funds to expand broadband across the state.

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Leadership and Innovation: The Oklahoma Broadband Office Path to Success

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Louisiana's approach to implementing BEAD offers valuable lessons for other states trying to save BEAD and get their funding deployed to their communities in need. Through careful program design and innovative implementation strategies, ConnectLA has achieved remarkable results while maintaining cost efficiency and promoting competition.At the heart of their success was a bidding structure that leveraged behavioral economics to drive down costs. By creating a two-round process where almost no awards were made in the first round, providers had to knuckle down and reduce costs by approximately 20% in the second round. This approach, combined with small project areas averaging 75 locations each, allowed providers to build flexible applications that included combinations of project areas that made fiscal sense while also ensuring comprehensive coverage.<img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdrCeFkadeEFS0jUsRrY5NT1WqbfZwpNoGZglcmbnTnhL5Ya2_Ac4QycWjhKQj1TSSRxIIebPhz0ZTPnh5ESgMF8PTiz1Wify9xCAtNPgVqav7RcJnM39bqrk3wRMq3TaV6iBXUgg?key=nb7ui4lnBEtFj1Yl-BN5hgwa">ConnectLA’s administrative approach aimed to minimize bureaucracy by prioritizing efficiency. They did this by streamlining the early stages of the application process without sacrificing accountability in the final stages. Rather than requiring extensive documentation upfront, they allowed applicants to qualify with minimal initial requirements, only requiring full documentation from winning bidders. This reduced barriers to entry while maintaining program integrity.&nbsp;The office also made several elements of the program clear up-front to incentivize participation and competition – allowing consortiums to apply together but receive separate award agreements, published benchmark funding amounts per project area and using fixed subawards with front-loaded payments to help smaller providers manage cash flow.The results speak volumes: 95% of locations will receive fiber-to-the-home service, with local providers winning approximately 75% of the funding despite no in-state preference. The entire process from initial bidding to preliminary awards took just six weeks, demonstrating that efficiency and thoroughness aren't mutually exclusive.<img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXe05a4xQdOFCnZrKD5SqYus1Hs5NibLkFi8v19iry7ehHvfX03iFdlLb_wcx8toKky6bqRDxBhCFRX3j02uUty7GdPjjRxwxSscRg-6-TaJ3DzT8YjpwcrJ43ewSOj593VjE9JIDQ?key=nb7ui4lnBEtFj1Yl-BN5hgwa">Perhaps most tellingly, the competitive nature of the process was so robust that even winning bidders expressed disappointment at not winning more areas – a fact that the ConnectLA office says reflects the impartiality and competitive nature of their program. This healthy competition helped ConnectLA achieve their coverage goals while maintaining cost discipline, with prices generally tracking CostQuest estimates until reaching the most topographically challenging and isolated locations.For states currently designing their BEAD implementation strategies, Louisiana's experience suggests focusing on creating flexible, provider-friendly processes while maintaining strong competitive pressure. By combining streamlined administration with smart program design, states can achieve both universal coverage and cost efficiency in their broadband deployment efforts.

Louisiana’s BEAD program achieved 95% fiber-to-home coverage in six weeks by combining competitive bidding, streamlined administration, and provider-friendly processes. See how their approach offers a model for cost-effective, universal broadband deployment.

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How Louisiana Will FINISH BEAD

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<h3>Giving Broadband Directors the Bird's-Eye View They Deserve</h3>State broadband directors aren't just managing grant applications – they're architecting the future of connectivity in their states. It's like having the world's most complex Light World/Dark World map to navigate, except instead of searching for Moon Pearls and Master Swords, you're tracking the status of thousands of households while switching between layers of federal requirements and local needs. While charting this critical quest for your state, the last thing you need is to hunt through multiple systems just to get a clear picture of your BEAD Program status.<figure class="image"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/ready-net-public-assets/Map2_76a8fe2177/Map2_76a8fe2177.png"></figure>Enter the Director's Dashboard (affectionately known as "Mission Control"), the newest addition to Ready.net's purpose-built suite of broadband solutions. Think of it as your command center, minus the Hollywood-style wall of flickering screens and ominous red buttons.<h3>Open Your Aperture&nbsp;</h3>What makes Mission Control special? It's the difference between looking through a keyhole and standing atop a mountain. In one unified view, directors can:<ul><li>Track the status of every broadband serviceable location (served, funded, underserved, or unserved)</li><li>Monitor challenge process metrics and types</li><li>Process progress, financial and compliance reports</li><li>Overview BEAD applications, including funding requests and match commitments</li><li>Dive deeper and explore any aspect of their program that needs attention</li></ul><figure class="image"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/ready-net-public-assets/Director_Dashboard_2_02f861d278/Director_Dashboard_2_02f861d278.png"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/ready-net-public-assets/Director_Dashboard_3_1d37f28aa1/Director_Dashboard_3_1d37f28aa1.png"></figure><h3>Bring the Correct Quest Items</h3>But here's the thing – Mission Control isn't just a dashboard. It's an integrated tool in Ready.net's end-to-end ecosystem of software designed specifically for the unique challenges of state broadband offices. Because let's face it, managing a multi-million dollar broadband infrastructure program shouldn't feel like trying to solve the Ice Palace with the wrong item loadout – off-the-shelf software just wasn't made for this quest. &nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-align-center"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/ready-net-public-assets/Menu_Screen_d14ae33524/Menu_Screen_d14ae33524.png"></figure>Your adventure to connect every household deserves purpose-built quest items that understand the complexity of BEAD programs and the importance of your work. Because when it comes to shaping the future of connectivity in your state, "good enough" simply will not cut it…<h3>Ready to Start Your Quest?</h3>Like any hero, you need the right equipment for the journey ahead. Schedule a demo of Mission Control today and see how it can illuminate your path forward.

The Director's Dashboard brings clarity to your broadband quest in one unified command center.

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A Link to Your State

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As light shines at the dawn of artificial intelligence, we’re already seeing transformation underway in nearly every sector. How might the government offices and agencies who work with utilities like broadband, energy & water benefit from the transformation?

AI can help government agencies optimize utilities like broadband, energy, and water for greater efficiency and compliance.

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Agents for Agencies

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State broadband offices have had a busy 2024 juggling challenge processes, preparing for an onslaught of BEAD applications, stakeholder engagement and many more issues thrown at their mighty, but often small teams.&nbsp;Going forward, states should protect their legacy of success by ensuring that the five pitfalls of geospatial grant administration are avoided. These pitfalls are:<h3>1. Fragmented tools → fragmented results</h3>Offices that try to build in-house tools or repurpose off-the-shelf software built for very different purposes tend to see heavily fragmented workflows and heavily fragmented program outcomes. Your success depends on your vision being enforced throughout the full lifecycle of your program, which requires a holistic platform approach. &nbsp;<h3>2. GIS as an island&nbsp;</h3>Many offices deal with maps through the 1960's lens of GIS. They purchase exquisite GIS systems that spit out fancy maps with no real purpose beyond visual display. Success in your program requires integrated geospatial reasoning, not fancy maps. &nbsp;<h3>3. The myth of linear adjudication</h3>Approaching adjudication and deconfliction as linear processes that can be solved with manual effort leads to suboptimal outcomes at best and can be disastrous. Hundreds or even thousands of wasted hours can be one cost of this pitfall, and worse. Adjudication is a complex, non-linear, iterative process, ideally one your office carries out with participants over the course of your program. &nbsp;<h3>4. Audit-ready or not?</h3>Unhappy providers are already taking legal action against state offices. Sub-grantee audits by federal agencies are a given. Every step taken by every member of your office must be accounted for. Making sure you securely store all provider-submitted info, track all communications with providers, and having an audit trail of your program are keys to ensuring your office, and all of your sub-grantees are audit-ready. &nbsp;<h3>5. Post-award Hell</h3>Imagine not knowing where your program stands until a few months after sub-grantees submit self-reported, manually assembled reports. Either someone from your office or your consultant needs to chase down paperwork every few months, then spend dozens of hours processing results before you know whether or not you're on track.Now imagine knowing at a glance, in near real time, where your office stands across all of your programs, with no additional effort on your office's part.&nbsp;<h2>Here’s how you can avoid these pitfalls:&nbsp;</h2><h3>1. Use a purpose-built, single source of truth platform</h3>With the BEAD showdown on the horizon, state broadband offices cannot risk any threats to their progress, such as team changes, misplaced documents or shoddy mapping – which are the downstream consequences of purchasing off-the-shelf software that is not purpose built to tackle BEAD.The Ready State Platform allows for you to run your entire process from challenge to allocation inside a&nbsp;single&nbsp;platform. Through the platform, states will be able to build custom project areas and expand upon existing ones while also having a deconfliction &amp; adjudication engine that can be tailored to their specific visions.&nbsp;The platform’s built-in location revision feature allows SBOs to negotiate back and forth allowing for an ISP to “concede” or “expand” their project area allowing them to cover the entire area of another application or give up all of the conflicted locations.&nbsp; &nbsp;<div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/6cEBjBA.gif" width="800" height="449" alt="Director's Dashboard"></div>&nbsp;<h3>2. Integrate geospatial reasoning</h3>Under the BEAD program, state broadband offices face the Herculean task of ensuring that their state’s share of the $42.5 billion dollars leaves no family behind in broadband. To accomplish this, geospatial technology must be incorporated in every step of the grant administration process. Doing so ensures that locations are properly visualized, project areas are clearly defined and that their state’s mapping is the source of truth for the state’s broadband reality.The Ready State Platform incorporates geospatial technology into every step of the BEAD process. This means no more relying on spreadsheets and location files, but instead having a clear, easy-to-use mapping system throughout the process. &nbsp;<h3>3. Iterate to amazing</h3>Your office cannot afford to view adjudication as a one and done, fire and forget type of task. State broadband directors have to shift their perspective and view iterative adjudication as the best opportunity to ensure that families aren’t left behind on&nbsp; the wrong side of the digital divide.&nbsp;Using the State Platform, grantors can submit specific revision requests or file a bulk request to review the selection of an applicant’s serviceable areas, network design, project scope, budget, community impact, affordability, and certification certification.Having all of these functionalities on a single platform streamlines the process and allows for an iterative process with fewer opportunities for mis-inputs and miscommunications that could result in costly delays and missed opportunities; every change between versions is saved, thereby giving your office the ability to compare and track changes to better understand how applicants respond to your feedback.Ultimately, this will result in fewer locations being left behind, fewer wasted months of complex work between multiple platforms, and fewer potential audit failures and unforeseen legal risks for your office.&nbsp; &nbsp;<h3>4. Be ready to for an audit…or two</h3>The Ready State Platform ensures that states are federal audit-ready with numerous tools, including Proof of Passings in conjunction with the ongoing Challenge Process Coordinator map update.&nbsp;BEAD applicants will also undoubtedly have questions throughout the&nbsp;reviewing, scoring, deconfliction, and adjudication processes&nbsp;that must be answered quickly by their state broadband office. Effective communication is crucial for successful, data-driven state broadband offices.Your State Platform will grant the opportunity for you to seamlessly communicate with providers directly through the same platform guiding your BEAD process. This also means that your office will have a database of communication with each provider that can be referenced for customer success or strategic purposes in the future.&nbsp; &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/ready-net-public-assets/Paperwork_vs_Real_Work_2_ec9dd452e5/Paperwork_vs_Real_Work_2_ec9dd452e5.jpg"></figure><h3>5. Automate reporting and compliance&nbsp;</h3>Attempting to manually adhere to reporting and compliance standards is a nonstarter. Offices have neither the luxury of time, the budget nor the manpower to do this work alone; reporting and compliance needs to be a seamless extension of reviewing, scoring, deconfliction, and adjudication.&nbsp;State broadband offices must hold all stakeholders to the highest standards of reporting and compliance. Throughout the BEAD process, states will face numerous federal audits and having a piecemeal program is a recipe for risk.&nbsp;States using the platform can ease the burden of reporting and compliance on both their office and providers while avoiding the market failure of previous broadband grant funding cycles.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Remember what’s at stake&nbsp;</h2>State broadband offices know what’s at stake for families relying on them to bring affordable, reliable broadband. BEAD is the country’s largest and arguably last major investment in broadband.&nbsp;In the Year of BEAD, states have accomplished so much towards this effort. Allowing the pitfalls of geospatial administration to erode this progress is an opportunity that neither states nor providers can afford.

Is your state making costly errors in BEAD grant administration?

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Avoiding pitfalls in geospatial grant administration

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<h2>New York State of BEAD</h2><div class="raw-html-embed"><div>
 <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/ready-net-public-assets/josh_zoom_3bc7d1e344/josh_zoom_3bc7d1e344.png" alt="NoFo Image" style="max-width: 370px; height: auto; float: right; margin-left: 24px;">
 Josh Breitbart’s office looks like a Zoom background. Except for the moving cars, you would swear it was one. 
 New York’s broadband lead is officially the Senior Vice President of ConnectALL, within New York’s chief economic development agency.
 While happy to talk with broadband.io, the New York broadband czar states that he would prefer that the story be about the governor as he says that ConnectALL is based on the governor's vision, with three central goals:
 <ul>
 <li>Make sure that there is broadband connectivity for every location in the state.</li>
 <li>Facilitate a robust broadband marketplace. </li>
 <li>Close the digital divide. Making sure that everybody not only has access to the infrastructure, but the ability to make use of it to achieve the outcomes of economic opportunity, health improvement, education, civic engagement, use of government services. </li>
 </ul>
 The New York broadband office (ConnectALL) team is a growing one with 19 employees currently. It is part of Empire State Development, the state’s economic development agency, working from offices in midtown Manhattan, Albany, and Utica.
 Breitbart says that the tagline for ConnectALL is ‘internet that works for New York. “Not only do we have it, but can people use it to do everything they need to, to thrive.”
</div></div><h2> Foundation for Success&nbsp;</h2>Breitbart explains that as soon as he took the reins in 2022, his first point of order was to uncover what the landscape looked like in terms of stakeholders and planning groups. He was pleasantly surprised to find that there was vast experience and lessons learned from past programs, “With a wide variety of partners at both the county and regional level who have been working on broadband for years, there’s a really strong foundation,” he says.&nbsp;This includes Empire State Development’s previous $500 million investment in broadband, which began in 2015, and counties that are part of federal organizations like the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Northern Border Regional Commission, both of which have been “providing funding for broadband planning or infrastructure for many years.”&nbsp;Many counties also have public or publicly controlled nonprofit regional fiber networks as well, bringing technical capabilities you would not normally find in communities.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Building with BEAD</h2>Because New York has regional planning councils and counties that have been working on broadband for years, they baked that into their proposed subgrantee program, ensuring that regional partners would provide capacity support and facilitate county participation. There are points in the scoring for letters of support. Both, explains Breitbart, are critically important as there's a need for greater capacity with BEAD. “We even have a regional local assistance grant program where governments in the state can apply for funds to be used as either capacity support or planning support,” says Breitbart.&nbsp;He explains that ConnectAll is hyper-focused on building for each stage of a potential process. “Ultimately, when an ISP is going to deploy into an area, we want the counties to be aware, involved, and engaged because that's what's going to make it successful, not just in the deployment stage, but in the uptake and making sure that these are successful businesses operating throughout the state.”Breitbart believes that the key to success is and will be local knowledge because each area of the state has such a wide variance. “New York is a fantastic state, and it's fantastic in its diversity in every respect, demographically, topographically, economically,” says Breitbart.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Billion with a B</h2>When added together, New York has a little more than $1.3 billion in funding to deliver universal access and close the digital divide. Specifically, that’s $664.6 million in BEAD, $345.5 million in CPF and, explains Breitbart, “We’re also very fortunate in that we have a state legislature, very committed, very supportive of the governor's vision for ConnectALL and has contributed $300 million of state funding. So, all in, ConnectALL is responsible for over $1.3 billion of public funds.”&nbsp;And in establishing Connect All, New York’s governor has announced five programs:&nbsp;<ul><li>The Affordable Housing Connectivity Program – A $100 million subsidy to bring broadband infrastructure to affordable and public housing.&nbsp;</li><li>The Municipal Infrastructure Program – $228 million in funding for public and publicly controlled infrastructure to connect ‘tens of thousands’ of homes.&nbsp;</li><li>The ConnectALL Deployment Program – These are the BEAD dollars, $664 million.&nbsp;</li><li>The Digital Equity Program, with a commitment of $50 million to address non-infrastructure barriers to internet adoption and use, drawing on an initial federal allocation of approximately $37 million.&nbsp;</li><li>Connectivity Innovation to advance new broadband solutions, technologies, and business models to meet the needs of rural and low-income communities in the state.&nbsp;</li></ul>&nbsp;<h2>No Cherries left in the 2%&nbsp;</h2>The BEAD program, opines Breitbart, does not reward large states that have already made significant investments in connectivity. And that’s exactly where New York is, with less than 2% of the state left to connect. “By definition, what we have left to connect is the hardest of the hardest to connect. I am realistic about how difficult almost every single one of these locations is to reach.”&nbsp;So, in essence, while more than $650 million for less than 100K unserved and underserved might sound like a layup, New York will need to be strategic in how it sets its “extremely high cost per location threshold” to maximize the number of those locations that can be reached with a fiber connection.Breitbart believes that the incumbents, both large ISPs and small community networks want to connect everyone. He’s optimistic that the funding will be enough to connect everyone but acknowledges that “if there's any portion that's not doable through this program, then we'll keep working because that's the nature of ConnectALL.”“It's still an unprecedented level of federal support. So that gives me great optimism,” sats Breitbart. “We’re working with communities and companies that have experience reaching very hard-to-reach locations. I am hopeful because I know we've got good ISP partners.”&nbsp;New York is currently going back and forth to come to a conclusion on project areas, sharing iterations to get feedback from the public, ISPs, and regional and county partners. ConnectALL will not finalize the project areas until the final list of eligible locations is approved by NTIA following the state challenge process.&nbsp;<h2>New York’s Challenge Process&nbsp;</h2>New York went into the challenge process with approximately 95,000 BEAD eligible BSLs, as they’re presently wrapping up the adjudication phase of the challenge process, they plan to hand in the final count to the NTIA later this summer.&nbsp;Breitbart reiterates that ConnectALL is taking “the long view of the connectivity challenge and building the relationships that we need throughout the process. Local knowledge is so important because it really does require that level of local understanding.”“We have a beautiful tapestry of the stakeholders including communities and ISPs,” says Breitbart. “And right now we are in the pre-qualification phase of the application so we can get a good sense of which ISPs are ready to participate. They’re all very active and engaged, but will they respond to the opportunities?”&nbsp;With NTIA’s August 13 announcement of the Initial Proposal Volume Two approval, Breitbart says the grant application is on track to open in the Fall.The first round will be a green light for subgrantee applications that are for 100 percent of a given project area with full fiber. Possible future rounds will look at alternative coverage possibilities and alternative technologies. He anticipates awards beginning to be handed out in 2025, following NTIA approval of New York’s Final Proposal.&nbsp;<h2>New York Through and Through&nbsp;</h2>I ask every state broadband leader why they do this… if they hate themselves, love long hours, or are just gluttons for punishment.&nbsp;Breitbart smiles when I ask him “why” do this, to which he explains, “I truly love this state, and I have always been motivated by the power of communication and expanding the opportunity for people to communicate, to tell their stories, to come together and to act as a community. And the internet is the critical infrastructure of that.”&nbsp;He recounts a career dotted with nonprofits, technology projects, and even a study of the Philly WiFi project from two decades ago. As part of the DC think tank New America, he supported communities in Detroit and Philadelphia implement projects under the federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.&nbsp; In 2015, Breitbart, whose family has been in the same neighborhood of Brooklyn for four generations, was thrilled to come back home and begin working in government at the local level in City Hall as part of New York’s Mayor’s Office. Ultimately, in 2022, he was appointed to the job he has now, one he calls a “dream opportunity because it was an opportunity to serve my community and my state.”“I just look at this as an opportunity to contribute, says Breitbart. “And that's what motivates all the people in this office is that we have that shared mission.”I’ve been part of non-profit organizations and been in mission-driven environments, but it's very different to be in government, and time and again, find a colleague who, if presented with the opportunity to do a bit more, to bring more benefit to the state, they'll take that opportunity,” expands Breitbart. “How could you not get up for that?”<figure class="image"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/ready-net-public-assets/joshua_podium_1_b805d83580/joshua_podium_1_b805d83580.jpeg"></figure>

New York’s ConnectALL initiative, led by Evan Breitbart, is using over $1.3 billion in funding to expand broadband access across the state. Discover how local knowledge and strategic planning are key to achieving universal connectivity.

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Meet Josh Breitbart

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<h2>Jim's South Carolina <s>Retirement</s> Adventure</h2>For someone with a big job, lofty expectations, and plenty of pressure, Jim Stritzinger (Director, SC Broadband Office) is way happier than he should be.&nbsp;The native of Delaware who fell in love with the state during childhood family vacations, is living his best life in The Palmetto State, running a team of six in Columbia.&nbsp;<h2>Stritzinger’s Prologue&nbsp;</h2>Near the turn of the millennium, Jim found his company being purchased, leading to the opportunity to move to Hilton Head, raise his girls, and play a lot of golf.&nbsp;&nbsp;He recalls that after eight years he did some self-reflection and realized that he was “living on a barrier island and my brain is still on fire.”&nbsp;After a variety of career hops, he became the Executive Director of non-profit Connect South Carolina in 2014 and noticed that… gasp… broadband maps were a collection of hyperbole, wishes, and lies. “I was an electrical engineer and a data geek with a hypothesis that the federal broadband maps were really awful. I knew many of the ISPs were significantly overstating their advertised speeds.”&nbsp;As an entrepreneur/engineer, the faulty maps continued to perturb him, so he decided to do something about it in 2019 when he got to work creating broadband maps with the assistance of Congressman Jim Clyburn, Ookla, his own expertise, as well as some common sense.&nbsp;The process for him started with ignoring advertised speeds and instead focusing on the broadband technology available per census block. For example, if one area was DSL, he deduced that instead of 25/3 Mbps, maybe they are getting 6/1 Mbps, at best. He took the best available technology in each census block, projected speeds, and produced the first iteration of a complete set of&nbsp;accurate South Carolina broadband maps.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/ready-net-public-assets/SC_Team_smaller_07c92bafbe/SC_Team_smaller_07c92bafbe.png"></figure><h2>With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility</h2>Stritzinger’s maps were catching on and landing him consulting contracts with local ISPs who paid&nbsp; him to map their own service territories. He describes what happened next as receiving his “dream phone call” came offering the SC state broadband post in March of 2021.&nbsp;The pandemic was the impetus, as Stritzinger says that the State of South Carolina had never invested “even a penny on broadband,”and was now allocating $50 million. This was broken up into $30 million designated for infrastructure, $20 million for hotspots for kids so they could do their homework, and what was left over to be used to stand up a broadband mapping effort.&nbsp;Created in July of 2021, the office is housed under the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff because, Stritzinger explains, it was the trusted place that had telecom background thanks to required oversight of South Carolina Universal Service Funds.&nbsp;<h2>From Zero to $1 Billion Hero</h2>It was a big change to go from zero dollars in June 2020 to where we stand today - over a billion dollars as of June 2023.“When I started, I was a single-person office inheriting a $30 million state grant program,” says Stritzinger. “Combine this with the South Carolina General Assembly allocating $400 million ARPA ($215 million SLFRF and $185 million CPF) in May of 2022, and in June 2023 a ~$551 million allocation of BEAD.”&nbsp;That’s a rapid change for a state that had never invested in broadband, says Stritzinger, “in less than two years, we go from zero to $30 million dollars, one-man broadband office to a full-time, six-person team with a billion-dollar budget.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>First Things First&nbsp;</h2>On June 30, Stritzinger and his team announced&nbsp;<a href="https://ors.sc.gov/news/scbbo-completes-historic-400-million-american-rescue-plan-commitment-connect-over-112380">the completion of its $400 million American Rescue Plan (ARPA) grant program.</a> In all, the grants will result in more than 13K miles of fiber that will serve 112,380 BSLs through 19 ISPs.Stritzinger explains that he and his team have been extremely thorough and meticulous with these grants to help ensure BSLs have enforceable commitments in place, “Every home that we fund with ARPA dollars is one less home that we need to fund for BEAD.”&nbsp;<h2>BEAD Begins&nbsp;</h2>Stritzinger explains that because South Carolina has lined up ARPA commitments, the BEAD Challenge Process includes these “enforceable commitments” and the BEAD Challenge is now complete.&nbsp;The enforceable commitments, predicts Stritzinger, will lower the number of BSLs that BEAD will need to reach and will be less than 32,000 total locations. For those keeping score at home (and for those who are alone), that’s ~$551 million for less than 32,000 locations. Stritzinger anticipates the 32K locations mostly getting fiber, save some extremely remote rural locations (i.e., barrier islands).&nbsp;As for South Carolina’s timeline for Volume 2 approval, Stritzinger notes that his office is in no hurry. In fact, he admits that “Candidly, we volunteered to be last. No state wants to be deploying ARPA dollars while at the same time trying to do BEAD. It's impossible.”More than just the strain running both ARPA and BEAD simultaneously puts on the broadband office, Stritzinger points out that to have both programs on their radar is “near impossible for the Internet Service Providers. ARPA has completely consumed our ISPs and to try to drop BEAD on them at the same time just wouldn’t be possible.”He notes that ‘everybody’s exhausted’ and believes that “when all the dust settles, five, ten years from now, I think the states that played it slower with BEAD are going to be the ones that get rewarded the most.”&nbsp;<h2>Timeline&nbsp;</h2>Stritzinger anticipates a volume two approval by the end of September, equating to the 365-day window starting around October 1, 2024.&nbsp;That puts South Carolina into the 4th quarter of 2025 for Final Proposal submission, followed by what Stritzinger says will be NTIA approvals and a lengthy permit process. Therefore, BEAD network construction is probably not going to take place much before the summer of 2026. “We've tried to do as good of a job with our ARPA money as we could, recognizing that BEAD won't start construction until the summer of 2026,” says Stritzinger. “I'm relentlessly trying to get every home we can connected before then.”BEAD project areas in South Carolina will be zip codes. Stritzinger is not overly concerned that ISPs will apply, stating that his perspective is “Some ISPs are going to want to apply just on a defensive mode because of the way the scoring works. ISPs can't allow a couple of mushroom BSLs to pop up in your service area and allow a competitor to come in. There's going to be some defensive applicants.”&nbsp; &nbsp;<h2>Non-Deployment Funding</h2>Back to the math of ~$551 million for less than 32K BSLs - Stritzinger says it’s a great ‘problem’ to have because he can designate approximately $232 million to BEAD Non-Deployment programs. “I'm working with NTIA on some special things that I'm personally extremely excited [about]. I'm now in a kind of fantasy land for being a broadband director, because we're going to be able to invest heavily in a variety of areas other states will not be able to.”&nbsp;He has projects on the drawing board including everything from middle-mile fiber rings to improve statewide backhaul to a $7 million stipend program for broadband staff that should “inject 150 mission critical people into the bloodstream of South Carolina very fast.”Additional investments he anticipates include $5 million for multiple dwelling unit infrastructure and $20 million slated to build a Virtual Primary Care program in South Carolina.Virtual Primary Care is about replacing expensive ambulance transport for low income, critical-care patients to the ER for primary care visits. “By partnering with the Medical University of South Carolina/SC Teleheath Alliance, we’ll equip these homes with connected medical equipment, train the residents how to use it – and – cover the annual cost of high-speed broadband service for each home,” says Stritzinger. “This is our creative approach to affordability and should wind up simultaneously saving the state substantial money.”&nbsp;“Therefore, with $232 plus million dollars pointed in the BEAD Non-Deployment direction, I think we can make some magic happen,” extols Stritzinger.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/ready-net-public-assets/in_the_field_1_86a049d6fa/in_the_field_1_86a049d6fa.png"></figure><h2>You Cannot Wipe that Smile off His Face!&nbsp;</h2>You can tell that Stritzinger has found his calling.&nbsp;His exuberance abounds as he states “I'm very blessed. I've got the job of my lifetime, the capstone on anything I've ever done.”He reiterates that these blessings include a great staff, a supportive legislature, and his peers. He shares that “the state broadband directors have all become friends” which seems obvious for those of us watching. “As I've gotten to know the other broadband directors, I've become aware that they all have a superpower. Each one kind of came into their role from a different place. Some came into it from a digital equity posture. Some came into it with federal grant experience. Others were political appointees; however, all are talented and willing to help each other.”He wraps up our conversation saying that “technology has been really good to me over the years.”&nbsp;At age 60, Stritzinger sees this post as a chance to “leave a legacy,” and he seems poised to do just that.&nbsp;

The man building a legacy of success in the Palmetto State.

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Meet Jim Stritzinger

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<h2>Vermont’s Do-Gooding State Broadband Director</h2>Christine Hallquist explains to broadband.io that “In 2016 I got on a do-gooder streak. I became a do-gooder. I said to myself, I can't go into retirement watching without doing something.”She laughs in a way that’s almost apologetic, saying that readers can ‘do the math’ of what happened in 2016 to inspire her, but she was so activated that she became the democratic nominee for governor in Vermont in 2018.While she lost to Governor Phil Scott, who she says is very popular ‘for good reason,’ she became part of his administration in 2021 when he recruited her to run the broadband office.Governor Scott clearly remembered that broadband was a key piece of Hallquist’s 2018 platform when he appointed her Executive Director of Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB). Prior to this she was formerly the CEO of Vermont Electric cooperative, which serves a majority of Vermont. She recalls that in 2003 her board of directors asked her to get broadband to rural Vermont.“I've been working on this ever since, have tried every type of technology, and early on, probably by about 2008, I personally concluded that if it's not fiber, it's not broadband,” explains Hallquist.&nbsp;<h2>Already Off and Running</h2>During Hallquist’s first three years as Executive Director, the state’s seen its fiber broadband coverage double from 25% of Vermont’s broadband serviceable locations (BSLs) coverage to 50%.“Our Vermont legislature has concluded that we're going to get fiber to every address in the state, making us the only state committed to that,” says Hallquist. “By the end of 2028, we should be over 95%.”&nbsp;<h2>P3s Critical to Success</h2>Hallquist recounts her own 2021 estimates on what it would take to get fiber connections across the state with and without private investments, “I said, if you build it, if you don't take advantage of public private partnerships, it's going to cost $1.2 billion. If you take advantage of private partners, it'll be closer to $550 million.”Hallquist says that under the leadership of the Vermont Community Broadband Board, legislation has been passed to better enable public-private partnerships to get fiber to every address. Fiber, she explains, is critical in Vermont because “wireless does not work in Vermont because of our geography, our mountains and hills as well as the fact we’re greater than 80% forest lands.”&nbsp;<h2>CUDs and CPF</h2>What has worked in Vermont, following the ECFiber model (founded in 2007 in Southeast Vermont), are Communications Union Districts, (CUDs) that were enabled by legislation in 2015. These CUDs are developed in response to the rural broadband challenge and the idea that banding together, communities are more likely to find a solution. There are <a href="https://publicservice.vermont.gov/vt-community-broadband-board-vcbb/vermont-communications-union-districts">TEN CUDs</a> in Vermont, many established shortly after the pandemic. Eight of these ten are servicing customers.Most recently, Vermont Community Broadband Board awarded a $20.2 million construction grant to CUD <a href="https://www.nwfiberworx.com/">Northwest Fiberworx</a>. “We’re using CPF ($113 million), SLFR (State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds) as well as some state funds to bring us close to $530 million in grant funding that’s out right now,” says Hallquist.To-date of this funding, VCBB reports awarding a total of $206 million for broadband buildout in Vermont.&nbsp;<h2>BEAD is Fiber First in Vermont</h2>Vermont will have approximately 25,000 deconflicted unserved and underserved locations that BEAD will need to assist in covering. One ‘catch’ reports Hallquist is that while Vermont is concentrating on connecting the ‘on-grid’ locations, there’s a preponderance (approximately 70%) of off-grid locations that are hunting camps and only occupied a few weeks a year. “We’ve told the NTIA that we're not going to serve hunting camps and I think we’re close to agreement on that,” reports Hallquist.But back to the program, Vermont was allotted $229 million in BEAD funding. The challenge process is complete, and the state awaits approval of Volume Two, which Hallquist reports as ‘getting close.’With that, Vermont plans on starting the bidding process either later this month or in August with what’s being called a ‘pre-proposal’ phase.Vermont is requiring interested bidders to participate in this process that will out-of-the-gate define interest and even allocation. “If somebody comes into the pre-proposal phase with a plan to serve the entire area with fiber, then when we’ll greenlight them for the proposal process and we won't consider anything else,” says Hallquist. “The thing we want is 100% fiber first. For the areas that propose mixed technologies in the pre-proposal phase, then we'll leave that open for bid in round one. In other words, if we've got one bid or more, 100% fiber will decide in the pre-proposal process, who's going to get the bid and if someone can deliver that, we'll immediately start,” says Hallquist.Vermont’s bid areas will match the CUDs as 218 of Vermont’s 252 towns are in CUDs. Hallquist predicts that many of the remaining unserved and underserved will be very small pockets that can be reached by existing carriers with line extension assistance.Hallquist is very optimistic as there’s already a great deal having been built and being built in the past few years. But she reports that “If we get no bids, then we’ll look at changing the bid areas and reaching out ourselves [to potential carriers].”We're hoping to finalize all this by the end of December.&nbsp;<h2>Is It Enough?</h2>Vermont attributes receiving 2x what was predicted in some circles for BEAD. Hallquist attributes this to a very aggressive approach to broadband map challenges before allocations were announced.But will state funding, CPF/ARPA money, and BEAD be enough to bring Vermont “Universal Access?” Hallquist thinks so when she says that “It gets us there with some level of service.”This is when our conversation turns to the BEAD program, its guidelines, and the challenges. First up, the match component is a big barrier for community networks, so Vermont’s governor has tried to remove this by allocating an additional $30 million for the purpose of covering matching funds for communities. “We think we can come up with enough match to cover our community networks full and then they can get their infrastructure paid for while at the same time we're counting on those private partners to hit some of the areas and come in with their own match,” explains Hallquist.&nbsp;<h2>No Shortage of Opinions</h2>Hallquist was the 17th State leader I’ve interviewed, and one thing I walked away from the conversation with was that she’d really have a lot of positive impact on the country and the program, given the chance.Rather than brushing past these, it’s important to hear what this industry veteran had to say and consider her advice and whether anything can be applied to BEAD moving forward. She calls the BEAD program ‘flawed from the start’ for numerous reasons, including:<ul><li>“If you look at how FDR setup electric cooperatives, he signed an order to say that these will be regulated territories to prevent encroachment. But in this case, we're doing it wrong as we're allowing encroachment to happen, making the business case worse.”</li><li>“We are not going to reach our nationwide [Universal Access] goal because of the match requirement. We don’t anticipate any unbid areas but states like Texas may see up to 40% of no bid areas.”</li><li>“A lot of the no-bid areas are the result of simple math. My math shows, and I haven't had anybody really argue this, that if you get less than four paying customers per mile, even if you give the network away, you can't support it because the operation and maintenance costs. You still don't have a business, sustainable business plan. So, I've been pounding on the NTIA to say, look, this is not going to work.”</li><li>“There’s not enough capacity with a limited number of line workers in our country. You must use a first-class line worker and there's just not enough capacity in this country to get it done. I’m not sure what we can do about this as the cows are out of the barn.”</li></ul>&nbsp;<h2>The Vermont Community Broadband Board</h2>Currently eleven people work within the VCBB, a number Hallquist calls a ‘healthy number.’ They’re overseen by an independent board made up two members assigned by the governor, one by the state house, one by the state senate, rounded out to five total members with a member elected by the public.“I come from the private sector, so I had no idea what kind of a bureaucracy I was stepping into, explains Hallquist. “I’m grateful to have folks on my staff that can help me navigate the ins and outs of government bureaucracy.”Hallquist admits that she was ‘worried,’ about being able to have the staff needed because the public sector can’t compete with compensation rates in the private sector. But today she’s thrilled with her team saying, “These people come here because they're mission focused, really committed to the job, and a passionate group of people.”“I told my staff that this is pretty much an impossible task, universal access, right? With all the forces going against us, we must be perfect to execute this thing. And I think we will be. We've got a lot of help with a good board and a very supportive state. I don't think all the states have what we have. We’re lucky. It's about the whole collective will of everyone to make sure everything comes together to make this succeed.”<div class="raw-html-embed"><div style="display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; margin-top: 24px">
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