Board hears BEAD rule changes: states get 90‑day resubmission window; wireless, satellite count as options

A board member reported at a Lancaster County meeting that the Commerce Department and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration released updated BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) rules on Friday, June 6, giving states a 90‑day window to revise requests and reopen portions of their bidding processes.

The update matters because it changes which technologies states may prioritize when awarding BEAD funds. "The speed is a 120, which is the current FCC definition of broadband," the board member said, and the new rules “level the playing field based on speed,” allowing states to consider fixed wireless and satellite bids alongside fiber and coaxial cable. The board member added that the new guidance requires states to select the lowest‑cost solution unless other factors—such as speed and network performance—justify another choice.

The board member summarized other practical effects for counties: states must update coverage maps to include fixed wireless; revise the challenge process used to contest coverage claims; reframe how community anchor institutions (libraries, schools, hospitals) are defined and funded; and that some provisions allowing state‑mandated affordable service pricing and use of unused BEAD funds for digital literacy or adoption programs have been removed. “They’ve also removed provisions for the state mandated affordable service provision,” the board member said.

Local providers named by the board in discussion about Lancaster County’s BEAD list include AllPoints Broadband and Breezeline (traditional coax/fiber candidates) and Amazon and Starlink (satellite). Verizon was on an earlier list but withdrew from parts of the local application because of a state requirement that an applicant accept service responsibility for every address in a ZIP code. The board member said that requirement led Verizon to withdraw from some ZIP‑code areas where it was unwilling to serve every address.

Board members asked who must resubmit in the 90‑day window; the board member said the state offices will refile their applications and noted he had spoken with Vaughn Chandler, associate director of the Virginia BEAD office, before the rule change. The board member said he had tried to reach Chandler again for updates and had not yet received a callback.

The Lancaster board discussed VADI (a related Virginia broadband initiative) and the state Department of Housing and Community Development’s role: the board member said VADI work from prior years remains open for closeout but that the state’s emphasis has shifted to BEAD for the foreseeable future.

On timing, the board member said the NTIA believes funds could be released by the end of the year but cautioned that Lancaster County should not expect local disbursements before 2026: "So my interpretation of that is don't expect anything to happen before 2026 in terms of funds being available to Lancaster County." He also warned litigation could follow the rule changes.

Questions during the meeting touched on how the new rules might favor fixed wireless or satellite on cost grounds and on geographic limits—rocky or heavily forested areas may not be well served by buried fiber or satellite, he said. The board did not take a formal vote on BEAD policy; the session provided an informational update and directed staff and board members to monitor state application activity and provider responses.

The meeting opened with no public comments and moved to administrative matters after the BEAD discussion.