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NTIA has approved Minnesota’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Initial Proposal Volume 1!
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Preparing for BEAD: Getting CostQuest licenses for Fabric IDs
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Digital Equity Act Update
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Governor’s Task Force on Broadband to meet Tuesday, June 18th
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Welcome to new staff in the Office of Broadband Development!
 Names?
Director Bree Maki attended a groundbreaking ceremony in Forest Lake, May 22nd 2024. The Midco last mile project received $971,131 in funding from the State of Minnesota's Border-to-Border Broadband Grant program.
More information on grant programs is available on the Broadband Grant Program webpage.
NTIA has approved Minnesota’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Initial Proposal Volume 1!
The Volume 1 was first submitted to NTIA in draft form in October 2023 for preliminary feedback, formally submitted to NTIA in December 2023, and subsequently went through multiple rounds of “curing” as OBD attempted to devise a BEAD Challenge Process most suitable to Minnesota’s broadband users and providers. Changes required by NTIA have been incorporated into the final Volume 1 and with approval, the BEAD Challenge process can begin. The timing of approval is beneficial as it allows Minnesota to use the recently released FCC map and include the results of the latest Line Extension awards and the results of the state-funded Round 10 of the Border-to-Border and Low Density grant program, which will be announced prior to the conclusion of the BEAD challenge process.
Before the Challenge process begins, OBD will hold webinars, host weekly office hours online, and host the following regional events to review the BEAD Challenge process. More information to come, but save the dates for:
- Tuesday June 25th – Detroit Lakes, MN
- Wednesday June 26th – Chisholm, MN
- Wednesday July 10th – Rochester, MN
- Thursday July 11th – New Ulm, MN
Information, as it becomes available, will be posted to the OBD website and distributed to this mailing list.
Preparing for BEAD: Getting CostQuest licenses for Fabric IDs
The NTIA Tier D & E licenses support a broader range of purposes, including administration of the BEAD program, participation in the BEAD eligible entity Challenge processes, and reporting requirements associated with the Broadband Funding Map and the BEAD program. There is a no-cost license option available to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to access the Fabric IDs.
The Tier D and E licenses are intended for: qualified or presumptively qualified prospective direct recipients or indirect subrecipients; awarded direct recipients or indirect subrecipients; and challengers to participate in Federal Broadband Granting Agency's (FBGA) broadband grant programs through either a challenge process, by applying for an award of available funds, or by reporting on an awarded grant/loan (including reporting related to the Broadband Funding Map authorized by IIJA § 60105).
The Tier D license is available upon request. CostQuest will coordinate the approval of Tier E licenses with individual State Broadband Offices and NTIA. This coordination is to ensure that the delivery of the Licensed Materials coincides with the state challenge process.
For more information visit NTIA’s webpage on CostQuest Licensing.
You can make a license request using these websites:
If you have any questions, CostQuest can be reached directly by emailing IFAsupport@costquest.com.
Digital Equity Act Update
On Friday, May 24, OBD submitted Minnesota’s State Digital Equity Capacity Grant application to NTIA. This grant will provide $12M in federal funds to implement Minnesota’s Digital Opportunity Plan through subgrants, statewide programs, and data analysis. OBD anticipates receiving this award in fall of 2024, pending changes or updates to NTIA’s timeline. This recent blog post from the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) provides more details about what prospective grantees might expect.
Please contact Hannah Buckland, Digital Equity Program Lead, at hannah.buckland@state.mn.us with any questions about Minnesota’s application and process.
Governor’s Task Force on Broadband to meet Tuesday, June 18th
The Task Force will meet in Hutchinson, MN at 10 a.m. Central Time on Tuesday June 18th. The meeting will have virtual as well as in-person options for attending and is being hosted by the Southwest Initiative Foundation.
More information on this and past meetings can be found on the Broadband Task Force webpage.
Welcome to new staff in the Office of Broadband Development!
Ben Vargas, Broadband Fiscal Liaison
Ben has prior experience managing state and federal ARPA grants for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. He has also worked previously for the Wisconsin State Treasurer and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with a strong background in public affairs and evidence-based policy evaluation. Ben is excited to apply his expertise to the work at OBD!
In his free time, Ben enjoys watching Star Wars, playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends, board games, and exploring new parks and restaurants in Minneapolis.
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