WASHINGTON, D.C.—A Trump-era broadband program plagued with delays and potential defaults could prevent rural and Tribal Arizona communities from taking advantage of almost $1 billion in broadband funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. With the State of Arizona set to begin the process of awarding the Infrastructure Law program’s grant funding later this month, Rep. Greg Stanton is seeking a resolution.
The Stanton-shaped Bipartisan Infrastructure Law created the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The State of Arizona was awarded more than $993 million, and is expected to open their subgrantee selection process for BEAD awards on December 20th.
But BEAD rules stipulate that locations already awarded funding under certain other federal programs—like the $20.4 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program created in 2019 and administered by the Federal Communications Commission—are ineligible for a BEAD grant.
According to the Governor’s office more than 80,000 locations in Arizona currently have RDOF commitments, making them ineligible for BEAD funding. However, some internet service providers in Arizona under contract with the RDOF program have shown no signs of progress and appear to have a high risk of defaulting on their commitments to provide internet service.
Stanton this week pressed FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel to clarify the timeline of eligibility for BEAD funding to ensure no communities are left behind. He also asked the chair to clarify the timeline and plan to allocate the second round of RDOF funding.
“The deployment of these federal programs is a once in a generation opportunity to connect all of Arizona—improving access to health care, education, and economic opportunity,” Stanton wrote. Stanton’s full letter is available HERE.
He demanded answers by December 13th, one week before Arizona’s BEAD application portal opens.