BEAD Challenge Process Underway in Florida - What You Need to Know
Maribel Martinez Consulting recently polled LinkedIn professionals to learn more about whether they (1) know about their BEAD Challenge Process and are following it, (2) know about it but it is not a priority, and (3) don’t know what it is.
If you might have responded that you don’t know what the BEAD Challenge Process is, you're not alone since 33% of respondents said they were also unfamiliar with the term and/or the process. It is possible that most Floridians are not aware of their opportunity to inform Florida’s broadband map, which details the availability and capacity of broadband service at the address level for residences and businesses throughout the state.
The BEAD Challenge Process will run from July 22 - September 5, 2024, managed by Florida’s Broadband Office in the Department of Commerce. The BEAD Challenge Process is a critical step towards increasing the digital infrastructure that is needed in order for homes and businesses to use the internet and computing devices in personally meaningful ways, such as school and work. Without a sufficiently fast broadband connection, it is nearly impossible to carry out the types of daily tasks most of us need, from job hunting to procuring goods and services, and much more.
BEAD BACKGROUND
The BEAD Program provides federal funding for grants to states for broadband planning, deployment, mapping, equity, and adoption activities. The BEAD Program, part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), allocates a minimum of $100 million for states to expand broadband infrastructure and connectivity programs.
In 2023, the State of Florida was allocated more than $1.16 billion through the federal BEAD program to facilitate the expansion of broadband Internet and service access across the state. Prior to launching the full program in 2024, the State of Florida submitted an initial proposal to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the agency responsible for administering the BEAD Program. One of the program’s requirements is for states to describe a “Challenge Process” in their proposals, where units of local or tribal government, nonprofits, and Internet Service Providers may challenge a determination as to whether a specific address is served by broadband service or not.
Underserved - a place with internet speeds of less than 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up (100/20)
Unserved - a place without broadband connectivity available or with internet speeds of less than 25 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up (25/3)
NOTE: Satellite internet is excluded from broadband mapping
“Challenges” are carried out by registered “Challengers,” agencies who applied for necessary free licenses to gather and submit address-level broadband service data about locations throughout the state.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
So how do you know how your home address, and that of other places in your community, is being cataloged?
Visit https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/home and enter your address:
Next, determine if there is:
Availability - broadband service identified is not actually offered
Technology - technology indicated is not correct
If you find a discrepancy, consider submitting a Location Challenge.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
In Florida, Challenges are being received but the entities who are collecting the data and submitting them are kept private until the challenge period closes on September 5, 2024. A short data processing period follows from September 6-13, and then Internet Service Providers are permitted a rebuttal period of the data from September 14-October 28, 2024. Final submittal to the NTIA concludes the BEAD Challenge Process, which will be sometime after November 19, 2024 in Florida.
MORE INFORMATION
Engage with Florida’s Office of Broadband directly on Mondays 4-5 PM and on Thursdays from 10-11 AM during open office hours where you can ask questions about submitting a Challenge and for help with interpreting FCC Broadband Map data.
Read the original article published for The Patterson Foundation’s Digital Access for All blog.
