The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)
recently announced that it will develop rules for determining
grant funding, eligibility, and compliance for funds distributed
to California under the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and
Deployment (BEAD) Program created under the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.
After receiving BEAD funding from the National Telecommunications
Administration, a state may award sub-grants competitively to
carry out the following broadband deployment activities: unserved
and underserved service projects; projects connecting eligible
community anchor institutions; broadband data collection,
mapping, and planning; installing internet and wireless
infrastructure or providing reduced-cost broadband within a
multi-family residential building; broadband adoption programs,
and; other activities as determined by the NTIA.
The
proceeding opened by CPUC will establish a public forum to
develop BEAD Program rules for California. Individuals may
monitor the proceeding by subscribing to receive electronic
copies of the documents that are published on CPUC’s website.
Instructions for enrolling in the subscription service are
available on the Commission’s website.
