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Lancaster Broadband Authority chair outlines shifting BEAD rules, timeline and local impacts
Summary
Keith Kidd, chair of the Lancaster Broadband Authority, briefed the Board on recent changes to the federal BEAD program, how Virginia must re-run bidding and mapping, and potential effects on unserved households and All Points Broadband deployments.
Lancaster County Broadband Authority Chairman Keith Kidd told the Board of Supervisors on June 26 that recent federal changes to the BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) program require states to revise bidding and mapping processes and may change which addresses are treated as unserved.
Kidd said the U.S. Commerce Department’s June guidance widens acceptable technologies to include coaxial, fixed wireless, and satellite, and requires states to select the lowest-cost proposals unless a jurisdiction elects to allow up to a 15% cost premium for faster or quicker deployments. “Under the new rules...coax, fiber, wireless FWA, and satellite are all acceptable,” Kidd said.
Why it matters: the county had about 450 addresses on a BEAD challenge list in 2024; Kidd said many of those may now appear as served on federal maps because of satellite providers that already report service to the FCC. That could reduce Lancaster’s challenge list and affect local award eligibility. Kidd warned the board the state must update its maps and the challenge process before awards can proceed.
Kidd described Virginia’s timetable: the state aims to submit a final plan to NTIA in September; NTIA then has up to 90 days to review. “We’re not looking to see anything coming out of BEAD before December at the soonest,” he said, citing possible litigation from fiber proponents and other political delays.
Kidd also discussed how BEAD’s new rules affect low-cost offerings. The program requires providers to offer an affordable plan but leaves price-setting to providers; states cannot mandate a specific price. That change removes one avenue Virginia had used to encourage low-cost service, Kidd said.
Board members asked about specific local impacts. Kidd said All Points Broadband (APB), the county’s VADi/VADI contractor, remains constrained by the lists it filed under earlier grants and cannot connect additional addresses until its grant work is closed out. “The VADI grant says I’m going after 2,161 homes, and I cannot add, change, or do anything different than serving those 2,161 homes,” Kidd said. He added he will continue to push APB for updates and will track what happens to the 2024 challenge list.
Kidd said satellite providers such as Starlink are often the only current satellite option meeting 100/20 speeds in some areas, but line-of-sight issues (trees) and current subscription costs make satellite imperfect for all households. “You’d have to have a clear view of the sky,” he said, and noted current satellite subscription prices remain higher than many fixed alternatives.
The board did not take formal action; Kidd said he will return with updates as state timelines and award decisions become clearer.
Ending: Kidd urged continued local monitoring and said the Broadband Authority will follow state mapping and challenge developments and report back to the board.
