Mobile Wireless Communications Infrastructure on Educational Facilities

Mobile Wireless Communications Infrastructure on Educational Facilities encompasses cellular towers, small cells, distributed antenna systems, and related wireless network equipment deployed on school campuses, community college properties, university grounds, and Tribal educational institutions to provide mobile broadband coverage for students, faculty, and surrounding communities. This infrastructure category addresses connectivity gaps on educational campuses while creating anchor points for broader community wireless service.

The SUCCESS for BEAD Act explicitly identifies "mobile wireless communications infrastructure, including towers, antennae, and other communications equipment, on educational facilities, including those on Tribal lands" as eligible infrastructure for BEAD remaining amounts. This provision recognizes that educational institutions often have both the real estate suitable for tower placement and the anchor tenant demand that makes wireless infrastructure economically viable in otherwise underserved areas.

For rural and Tribal communities, educational facility wireless infrastructure serves dual purposes: providing reliable mobile connectivity on campus for educational applications while extending coverage to surrounding residential areas lacking commercial wireless service. The explicit inclusion of Tribal lands throughout the SUCCESS for BEAD Act reflects federal recognition that Tribal educational institutions face among the most severe connectivity gaps in America and possess unique opportunities to leverage sovereign authority and federal contracting preferences for infrastructure deployment.