Under new rules for the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program released Friday, states will have to make ineligible for funding some locations served with unlicensed fixed wireless. It’s a victory for the group, which has been pushing for the chance to update BEAD maps.
Broadband offices will have to consult the FCC’s coverage map to see where coverage is reported, and then will reach out to those ISPs to quickly verify they can adequately mitigate interference before running an additional grant application round.
“If you’re looking to defend the areas you’re servicing now, then you need to make sure that your information is up to date,” WISPA CEO David Zumwalt told members on a webinar Thursday. “It’s critical that you make sure that your BDC information is up to date.”
For communities, this means if the updated maps change the number of unserved (to served) locations, they may lose BEAD eligibility for those locations.