Colorado’s Broadband Workforce Plan
The CBO and the Office of the Future of Work have jointly unveiled their plan to tackle a major obstacle hindering broadband deployment across the state - labor and skill shortages. The Broadband Workforce Plan is vital to successfully distributing $826.5 million from the federal BEAD funding program. Over the next five to seven years, BEAD-funded projects will create more than 3,000 jobs in Colorado. Read the plan for more information.
Broadband Fund Webinar and Updated Timeline
The Broadband Deployment Board staff is hosting a webinar to discuss the 2024 Final Grant Cycle on Dec. 14 at 11:00 a.m. MT. Join the webinar. Minor changes have also been made to the previously published timeline. The new timeline is available here.
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Advance-BEAD Challenge Process Webinar TODAY
An overview of the Advance-BEAD Challenge Process, including how to register, available resources, timeline, and how to prepare is happening this morning at 11:00 a.m. MT. Register for the webinar. Miss the webinar? Check out the CBO’s Advance-BEAD page for more information.
Challenge Process
The Advance-BEAD Challenge process is a 30-day period for local governments, broadband service providers and nonprofits to challenge what the CBO determines as unserved and underserved locations in the state. The CBO asks Colorado's ISPs, nonprofits and local governments to participate in the challenge process. This will ensure the CBO has an accurate broadband coverage map and data before deploying BEAD funding. Note, ISPs will have the opportunity to rebut challenges.
The Advance-BEAD Challenge Process begins in January. Preparing for the challenge process can take time so we encourage participants to start now. Learn more on the Advance-BEAD page.
BEAD Initial Proposal Volume 2 Public Comment Closed
The public comment period for the BEAD Initial Proposal Volume 2 closed on Nov. 27. Receiving feedback from residents, organizations, nonprofits, local governments and providers is key to crafting a successful plan for BEAD funding distribution. Thank you to all who commented. We are reviewing comments and plan to submit Volume 2 to the NTIA in the coming weeks.
In preparation for the 2024 legislative session beginning on Jan. 10, 2024, OIT’s Government Affairs Team is hosting weekly broadband legislative stakeholder meetings. Previous meetings and slide deck presentations are available to the public. The next meeting is Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 1:00 p.m. MT. If you are interested in attending future meetings, please register.
The CBO will also be giving broadband updates to the Joint Technology Committee today, Tuesday, December 12 at approximately 11:30 a.m. MT. The public can watch and listen to the hearing.
Digital Access Plan Public Engagement Starting Soon
In November of 2022, the NTIA awarded Colorado’s Digital Equity Team $900,000 to create the state’s first Digital Access Plan - a plan to increase Coloradans’ access to devices and increase the digital skills of Coloradans who have been historically digitally disconnected. The public comment period for the Digital Access Plan is Dec. 15 through Jan. 19. Opportunities to respond online will be available in Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Persian, Russian, Arabic and French. Check the website for details.
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