PSC says it sent first BEAD grant agreement; NTIA nondeployment guidance still pending

The Public Service Commission said it sent the state’s first BEAD grant agreement and is preparing awarded projects for environmental review and onboarding.

"We hit a BEAD milestone this morning where we sent out our 1st BEAD grant agreement," said Melissa, a Public Service Commission staff member leading the update. She told the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access that awarded providers will proceed with NEPA reviews, GIS submissions and onboarding steps; some projects could start later this year and most are expected to begin next year.

Melissa outlined the program's funding picture: the state’s BEAD allocation totals approximately $1,000,000,000, with about $700,000,000 already identified for deployment awards and the remainder described as nondeployment funds. She said the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) had planned to issue written guidance on nondeployment uses by a March 11 deadline required by an executive order, but had posted an update on March 6 saying it would not meet that date.

PSC staff emphasized that nondeployment guidance will shape how the task force and state use the remaining funds. "NTIA had planned to issue guidance by a March 11 deadline... they posted an update on March 6 that they weren't gonna make that deadline," Melissa said, urging members to begin thinking about allowable uses even before final federal rules arrive.

Task‑force members were told the PSC hopes to send slides and detailed documentation to members in the next few days and that staff will support follow‑up questions about specific datasets and grant documents.

What happens next: awarded BEAD projects will generally move into NEPA and other federal reviews; PSC staff expect to share the grant material with task‑force members and to return with further updates at the next meeting.