Federal Funding Opportunity

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program was established through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden on November 15, 2021. On June 30, 2023, the NTIA announced how much of the $42.45 billion BEAD grant would be available to each state, territory, and the District of Columbia to expand high-speed Internet access.

The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) has opened a funding program that will distribute $1.16 Billion.

The 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories each submitted their “Initial Proposals”, indicating how they would distribute this funding, to NTIA for approval on December 27, 2023. After the submission, states and territories also began working on their “Challenge Processes”, to challenge the NTIA maps to refine which locations qualify for BEAD funding. The Northwest Commission facilitated the PBDA’s outreach efforts in 8 counties in northwest Pennsylvania by organizing both in person and virtual outreach events and webinars, explaining the program’s goals and challenges process to solicit real data regarding internet speeds and accessibility.

The PBDA’s proposed distribution of the BEAD funding in the form of a competitive grant application process has been approved by NTIA and the guidelines for application advertised.  The application period opened November 22, 2024.  Decisions as to successful applications and grant awards will be announced in 2025.