Lawmakers Have Multiple Roles to Play in Ensuring BEAD Success: Pew
States meeting their four-year deadline for BEAD construction and service delivery will need strong coordination between government and ISPs, wrote Sophia Bock and Kathryn de Wit of Pew's Broadband Access Initiative on Wednesday. They said federal lawmakers need to be familiar with their state broadband offices’ final BEAD proposals, including any changes made during NTIA's review and approval.
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Congressional delegations should encourage NTIA to work with states to make sure the plans meet statutory requirements while still being flexible, the Pew article said. Given concerns about NTIA lacking enough staffing to process and approve permits quickly, the authors also called for coordination among federal policymakers, state officials and others to minimize bottlenecks that could delay BEAD deployment. State broadband offices, ISPs and NTIA all have a role in ensuring accurate reporting and high-quality data collection, they said, adding that federal policymakers will be crucial partners collecting data that will monitor progress, measure program success and identify emerging challenges.
In addition, Pew said guidance should be issued about the use of BEAD non-deployment funds.