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Calhoun County subcommittee reviews BEAD map delay, readies letters of support and local digital equity work
Summary
County broadband committee heard a BEAD program update, was told pre-application steps are open while final maps remain under NTIA review, and discussed local digital equity activities and how townships can help ISPs with permitting and storage. The panel approved its meeting calendar and a routine tax-report item.
Lynn, a Calhoun County staff member, told the county digital equity subcommittee on the meeting that the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program remains stalled for the county while National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) reviews map-challenge results and RDOF defaults.
The review of address-level maps is delaying BEAD application windows, Lynn said, but pre-registration is open and ISPs and local governments should complete pre-application steps so they are ready when the application window opens. She described the BEAD timetable described to the group: after NTIA approves maps, stakeholders will have about 30 days to review eligibility maps, then a 90-day application window, followed by a roughly two-month negotiation period for successful applicants.
Why it matters: BEAD funding is intended to fill gaps left by previous federal and state broadband programs. Lynn said Calhoun County has about 15,000 unserved or underserved locations, roughly 9,500 of which are fixed-wireless-only — figures the group said…
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