BEAD Challenge Process Webinars
Training on entering challenges and rebuttals to broadband service map, status coming soon
The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program (BEAD) provides $42.45 billion to expand high-speed Internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and US territories. Washington is receiving $1.2 billion of this funding. Critical to this work at the state level is accurate identification of Broadband Service Locations (BSL) and the status of each as "served," "underserved" or "unserved."
We are preparing now for the challenge process that will help ensure the BSL map is as accurate as possible as we pursue the goals of Washington’s Internet for All initiative.
This process will be the formal avenue to capture challenges to a BSL status.
Who is eligible to challenge?
- Local governments
- Non-profit organizations
- Tribal governments
- Internet service providers
What's next
The broadband service map indicating status of each BSL is still in development, with several more stages of refinement to complete before the state challenge portal opens.
The Washington State Broadband Office will conduct extensive outreach over the next few months to ensure eligible challengers understand the state challenge process and how to participate.
You may find it helpful to bookmark our challenge process page as a useful resource as we move forward.
How to participate
Multiple webinars and trainings are scheduled to teach eligible entities how to use the state challenge portal when it opens. The portal will be used to make sure the status of residential addresses and community anchor institutions are correctly identified in the final project areas map for BEAD funding.
We encourage you to join us for these challenge process trainings:
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Overview and Welcome - Friday, March 15, 9-10:30 a.m.
Introductory training on the Washington State BEAD challenge process. This webinar will showcase aspects of the BEAD Challenge Process, such as the ISP Dashboard, submitting a challenge, area challenges and the rebuttal process. There will be time for Q&A. Additional training on the challenge process and the Challenge Portal system will be offered later.
March 15 Overview Webinar link (Zoom)
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BEAD Challenge Process Training Module 1
This webinar will review the challenge process application and the ISP Dashboard, and focus on additional topics such as submitting challenges and preparing and submitting evidence. We will also touch on the rebuttal phase and have time for Q&A. There will also be separate training opportunities focused on the rebuttal phase.
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BEAD Challenge Process Training Module 2: Rebuttal
This second in the series of challenge process webinars will review some of the challenge submissions, get an understanding of how the process is going, and then focus specifically on the rebuttal phase of the challenge process. We discuss how to rebut a challenge and will take a look at any open rebuttals. There will also be time for Q&A.
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