Annual Outage Allowance

Annual Outage Allowance Banner Image

The Annual Outage Allowance is a BEAD program rule that permits a maximum of 48 hours of service disruption per year. Outages beyond this threshold constitute compliance violations and may trigger clawbacks.

To meet the standard, providers must track outages with timestamps, geolocation, and root cause analysis across both physical and cyber domains. States can use this data to identify vulnerabilities and guide infrastructure investments through Supporting Funds. Automated systems help distinguish preventable failures from force majeure events, ensuring accountability while promoting resilient network design.

Related Terms

Digital Infrastructure Terms