CPUC staff say timeline, final challenge map and high-cost rules for BEAD subgrant selection coming in weeks

California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) staff told participants during an office-hour Q&A that they expect to post a timeline and final challenge results for the state—s BEAD subgrant selection process in the next several weeks and clarified how high-cost census block groups will affect applicants— matching requirements and scoring.

The details matter to counties, Internet service providers and prospective subgrantees designing project areas and budgets: the CPUC staff said the final challenge map will be published with CSV location files, that high-cost census block groups are exempt from a 25% requirement, and that the proportion applied to mixed census block group project areas will be calculated by the number of broadband serviceable locations.

Jonathan Lackitz, a manager in the CPUC—s communications division, said, "We anticipate in the next several weeks, we'll be posting a timeline, which will include, some more details about when applications and prequalification rounds will start." He also told attendees the CPUC is "working with NTIA to finalize our results" and that the final map and CSV files will be published in a similar multi-week timeframe.

Staff warned that the published list of eligible locations will not be updated in real time. "The federal funding account about every 2 weeks has had, been making new awards," Lackitz said, and those subsequent awards can change whether particular locations remain eligible if they receive an enforceable…