Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testified to the Senate Wednesday that he would “shortly” release a new notice of funding opportunity for the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. The exact details of the new rules still aren’t clear, but state broadband officers said Wednesday they were hoping for some flexibility from the new rules. …
Lutnick told Senators that “as long as you are technologically agnostic, and agree to provide broadband at the cheapest price per user” – goals he has previously said he has for the program – the agency would approve states’ BEAD plans by the end of the year. He said states would have 90 days to submit those plans after the new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) was released. It’s still not clear how much work the new rules will require states to do, or if the more than 40 that have started or finished their bidding processes will have to restart.
State broadband leaders had reactions, including from Minnesota…
Bree Maki, Minnesota’s broadband director, also said she wanted state autonomy preserved. She said it was difficult to plan at this point because “we just don’t know” what the new rules will be.
“My biggest concern is spooking off the voluntary grantees that apply for these programs and participate in them,” she said. “It’s really important to remember our relationships with our internet service providers and make sure that we are open, honest, and communicate with all of them as we move forward.”