Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program
OFFICIAL NOTICE. November 15, 2023. The Department of Management has announced that the State of Iowa Initial Proposal is now available for Public Comment. The BEAD Program requires the State of Iowa to meet certain milestones including submission of a Five-Year Action Plan, Initial Proposal, and Final Proposal. The Initial Proposal, which, among other things, describes the competitive process the State of Iowa proposes to use to select subgrantees to construct broadband projects.
The following information concerning the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program can be found below:
- Purpose
- Timeline of Events
- Five Year Action Plan (Pending NTIA Review)
- Initial Proposal
- Initial Proposal Public Comment Period
- View The Initial Proposal and Provide Public Comment
Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program - Purpose
The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program was authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, Division F, Title I, Section 60102, Public Law 117-58, 135 Stat. 429 (November 15, 2021) also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The BEAD Program provides new federal funding for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to grant to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico (States), as well as American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands (Territories), and in certain circumstances political subdivisions of these States and Territories, for broadband planning, deployment, mapping, equity, and adoption activities. Funding is distributed primarily based on the relative number of “unserved” locations (i.e., broadband-serviceable locations that lack access to Reliable Broadband Service at speeds of at least 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream and latency levels low enough to support real-time, interactive applications) in each State and Territory. Each State is eligible to receive a minimum of $100,000,000 and each Territory is eligible to receive a minimum of $25,000,000. The State of Iowa received an allocation of $415,331,313 to implement the BEAD Program.
The following timeline identifies near-term steps associated with the BEAD program. Some dates identified as "TBD" remain to be finalized. Note: This Timeline does not identify all events associated with the BEAD program, but only those activities that will be completed through the Initial Proposal process.
Five Year Action Plan (Pending NTIA Review)
As required by the BEAD program, the State of Iowa Five-Year Action Plan has been submitted to NTIA for review. Once the review is completed, the Five-Year Action Plan will be posted here.
The Initial Proposal, among other things, describes the competitive process the State of Iowa proposes to use to select subgrantees to construct broadband projects. The Initial Proposal is Iowa’s “first draft” of the Final Proposal for the BEAD program. It explains how Iowa will ensure that every resident has access to a reliable, affordable, and high-speed broadband connection.
Volume 1 describes Iowa’s plan incorporating the following topics:
- Existing Broadband Funding
- Unserved and Underserved Locations
- Community Anchor Institutions
- Challenge Process
Volume 2 describes Iowa’s plan incorporating the following topics:
- Objectives
- Local, Tribal, and Regional Broadband Planning Processes
- Local Coordination
- Deployment Subgrantee Selection
- Non-Deployment Subgrantee Selection
- Eligible Entity Implementation Activities
- Labor Standards and Protection
- Workforce Readiness
- Minority Business Enterprises, Women’s Business Enterprises, and Labor Surplus Area
- Cost and Barrier Reduction
- Climate Assessment
- Low-Cost Broadband Service Option
- Middle Class Affordability Plans
- Use of 20 Percent of Funding
- Eligible Entity Regulatory Approach
- Certification of Compliance with BEAD Requirements
The State of Iowa has constructed Volume 2 to include a comprehensive list of Appendices including draft versions of the proposed Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA #009), accompanying grant agreement, and other materials to give the public direct insight into the nature of the grant program envisioned.
To view the Initial Proposal, follow the links provided in the Initial Proposal Public Comment Period section below.
Initial Proposal Public Comment Period
Prior to submission to NTIA, the Initial Proposal must be made available for a 30-day public comment period. The Iowa Initial Proposal is now available for public comment and will remain open for public comment until the deadlines set forth in the timeline of events.
To comment on Iowa’s Initial Proposal, follow the link below. View the Initial Proposal and Provide Public Comment