Ten Democratic House members requested clarification from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on how non-deployment funds from the BEAD Program will be managed. The BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice (BRPN) canceled all non-deployment allocations and promised updated guidance, but no guidance has been issued despite a September 4 deadline. 47 U.S. Code § 1702(f) lists broadband adoption programs and affordable device distribution among required allocations. Identified non-deployment uses include training, remote learning, telehealth, subscription subsidies, digital literacy, state digital equity plan implementation, multilingual outreach, and assistance with broadband signups. Signatories include April McClain, Rashida Tlaib, Troy A. Carter, James E. Clyburn, Nikema Williams, Timothy M. Kennedy, Cleo Fields, Sylvia R. Garcia, and Nikki Budzinski.
It alludes to the open questions regarding allocations of funds that were part of the BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice (BRPN) that was released on June 6. The BRPN canceled all non-deployment allocations for the BEAD Program and said that updated guidance would subsequently be released. This has not happened, despite a September 4 deadline. "Providing timely clarity to BEAD applicants is particularly urgent considering the upcoming September 4th deadline,"
"States require clear and specific guidance to ensure remaining funds can be repurposed in accordance with BEAD statutory authority and the 2022 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) guidance." This is more than an inconvenience, according to the letter. It says that part of the law under which BEAD was created - 47 U.S. Code § 1702(f) - stipulates that "broadband adoption programs and affordable device distribution" and perhaps other non-deployment activities are part of the law and must be allocated. The letter lists 12 of these uses. They include support for such things as training, remote learning, telehealth, direct broadband subscription subsidies, digital literacy,
Collection
[
|
...
]