The Virginia Office of Broadband (within the Department of Housing Community Development – DHCD) has released its Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment Program (BEAD) funding Draft Final Proposal for a 7-day public comment window.
In an email notice to stakeholders on August 6, the Virginia Office of Broadband states …
The publication of this Final Proposal for the public comment window marks a significant milestone for achieving universal broadband access in the Commonwealth. Virginia’s process to select recipients followed steps outlined in our approved Initial Proposal Volume II with the necessary revisions per the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) June 6th BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice. The Final Proposal reflects this expedited and strategic process, leveraging new flexibilities within the BEAD program to efficiently allocate resources. All BEAD eligible locations will be covered, and we are proud to recommend $613 million in efficient, well-designed projects through this Final Proposal that accounts for all locations approved by NTIA. Our approach leverages a diverse mix of technologies, including fiber, cable, fixed wireless, and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite—to ensure we meet the shared goal of universal broadband access now and for decades to come. We are confident our program will maximize impact and cost-effectiveness in areas where broadband has historically been unavailable or unreliable.
For more information, and to review the proposal, go to https://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/bead.
DHCD encourages stakeholders to review the proposal and submit any comments by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, August 13 to be considered.
VACo Contacts: Joe Lerch, AICP and Jeremy Bennett