Washington broadband office outlines BEAD implementation plan, targets 90-day permitting goal

Jordan Arnold, director of the Washington State Broadband Office, told the Technology, Economic Development and Veterans Committee on Feb. 4 that Washington’s final BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) proposal remains pending with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and that the office is preparing to move quickly once federal approval arrives.

Arnold said the state submitted its final proposal five months ago and has responded to about 25 formal NTIA requests for changes. He emphasized that the web of federal requirements and NTIA negotiations delayed launch activity but that Washington is poised to begin subgrantee agreements and construction oversight once the agency provides approval.

The office provided preliminary, provisional award numbers: the BEAD program will drive roughly $1 billion of total investment toward broadband in Washington, including about $736,000,000 in federal BEAD deployment dollars, roughly $163,000,000 in private matching funds and $112,000,000 in state funding…