CPUC sets portal-based BEAD subgrantee process with 30-day application window; extensions unlikely

The California Public Utilities Commission said during an office‑hour webinar that it will open a subgrantee prequalification period and launch a grant management portal as the sole method to submit applications for the state’s BEAD subgrantee process.

The portal and prequalification will be the primary channels for communications with applicants, including requests for additional information and any correction opportunities, CPUC Program and Project Supervisor Anir Shragi said at the start of the session. The commission plans to post informational application materials — described as the application questions and draft guides — by mid‑March.

The informational materials are not the application itself, Shragi said; they are meant to help applicants prepare. Jonathan Lackers, program manager, told attendees the commission’s timetable was built to meet a required final proposal submission to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on or before Oct. 2, 2025. “Based upon that endpoint goal…and number of steps that we need to conduct… I do not anticipate and strongly believe that we will keep the application deadline to the 30 days,” Lackers said, adding that only a change from NTIA could force a different schedule.

Shragi and Lackers said the portal will also be the mechanism the CPUC uses to communicate with applicants during review, including any requests to cure deficiencies. Prequalification is required: applicants must submit the prequalification package once (it is not project‑specific) before applying for a project award, Shragi said.

The commission said it will pause office hours the week it publishes the materials to allow staff time to finalize and post them, then resume webinars and office hours to walk through the documents. The CPUC encouraged stakeholders to sign up for email updates and said a revised FAQ document will be posted to the program website with answers from the office hours.

The session did not include any formal votes or changes to the BEAD policy; speakers described the timeline and communications plan for the subgrantee selection process.