USVI broadband office, utilities and carriers outline deployment, funding and coordination hurdles

Samir Webber, director of the Office of Management and Budget’s broadband office, told the Senate Committee on Housing, Transportation and Telecommunications on May 14 that the territory had secured the full $27,100,000 awarded through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program and was taking steps to open subgrantee funding opportunities. "The April 4 release of the NOFOs marked the opening of the application process for eligible subgrantees," Webber said, and he gave the committee dates tied to BEAD milestones: subgrantee selection and certification, a final proposal due July 17, 2025, and a projected start date for BEAD‑funded projects of Oct. 1, 2025, if prerequisites are completed.

VINGN President and CEO Steven Adams described recent upgrades and grant activity at the territory’s government‑owned middle‑mile network. He said VINGN used federal CARES and ARPA funds to expand community Wi‑Fi and had increased backbone throughput — a recent ARPA payment funded expansion that moved core transport from 10 gigabits to 100 gigabits. Adams said VINGN is prioritizing non‑deployment uses of BEAD funding in light of the FCC…