Review June Office Hours recording and plan for July
Our next Office Hours meeting is on July 8. Register for July 8 Office Hours.
The WSBO held Office Hours on June 10.
Previous Office Hours recordings and Broadband Bulletins are available in the “Additional Resources” section on our BEAD page.
Public Records Notice: Meeting registration information, such as name and email address, is a public record and may be subject to disclosure, pursuant to Chapter 42.56 RCW: PUBLIC RECORDS ACT.
New: Interactive BEAD Awards map now live
WSBO unveiled the BEAD funding map, now available on the Digital Equity Dashboard. The map shows the technology type (fiber, fixed wireless, satellite), locations served, and award details for every BEAD project across Washington.
 Highlights
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Searchable for specific addresses or communities
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Technology filters, such as fiber (red), fixed wireless (blue), satellite (orange/green)
- Live progress tracking for projects, such as connected vs. not-yet-connected
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Funding details by location and grantee
Attendees can access the map through the Digital Equity Dashboard’s Broadband Deployment Funding section.
BEAD Program updates
Contract execution
WSBO signed its first BEAD contract. Broadlinc is now cleared to begin eligible preconstruction activities (reimbursement applies to specific pre-award costs described in our BEAD handbook).
All BEAD subgrantee contracts must be signed by October 8, 2026.
Training resources
Recent WSBO trainings are now available online:
BEAD Handbook training
NEPA and NHPA Section 106 training, including introductions to WSBO’s NEPA consultant team
Slides and recordings are also posted on the WSBO’s BEAD page under Subgrantee Resources.
NEPA and permitting clarifications
WSBO’s NEPA contractor can begin prescreening once a subgrantee has a signed contract, using preliminary project designs. NEPA consultants do not pull permits; they track milestones and coordinate timelines.
As a reminder, no construction activity may begin until NEPA/NHPA processes are completed and approved.
Contract template and redlines
WSBO updated its BEAD contract template with a running change log. Subgrantees must submit any redlines/edits by June 30. These templates are also available under Subgrantee Resources on WSBO’s BEAD webpage.
Remaining BEAD funds and federal guidance
WSBO is awaiting federal NTIA guidance on the allowable uses of the remaining BEAD funds. NTIA and the U.S. Department of Commerce originally suggested guidance would arrive by March 12, then by June 22, but WSBO has not heard updates and considers the date uncertain.
WSBO’s priority remains connecting unserved communities, including areas left out or affected by defaults from other funding programs. Other priority areas, depending on NTIA guidance, include permitting, cybersecurity, digital literacy, workforce, resilience, and public safety.
Community discussions and other highlights
State budget environment
The Office of Financial Management’s latest guidance advises no new programs or funding requests due to anticipated budget constraints. Additional WSBO grant programs are unlikely, making BEAD’s remaining funds even more strategically important.
Cost overruns and material prices
Office Hours meeting attendees on June 10 expressed concern about rising costs and long lead times for fiber and conduit. WSBO acknowledged these concerns and continues advocating at the federal level for flexibility.
Digital equity and unhoused populations
One participant suggested the need for mobile connectivity and digital literacy services for unhoused residents — an area traditional infrastructure-focused programs like BEAD may not reach. WSBO expects continued discussion and noted past public Wi-Fi mapping efforts.
Guidance on Fabric updates and served locations
The FCC’s Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric (Fabric) is a master geospatial dataset of all residential and commercial structures in the U.S. where fixed broadband internet service can be installed. It acts as the foundational base map for the official National Broadband Map, matching internet availability data to exact, individual locations. Read more about it at CostQuest.com.
Question: What happens with BEAD locations that no longer appear on the FCC’s Fabric or now appear as “served” on the National Broadband Map?
Answer: WSBO will work with subgrantees to remove locations according to NTIA’s rules.
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Removal from Fabric: We are required to remove locations when there is evidence that the location is not a broadband serviceable location – for example, the location is removed from the Fabric if the provider can prove the location is a haybale. Removal from the Fabric alone is insufficient to justify removing a location from a BEAD project after the contract is awarded.
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Location served by another provider: WSBO and the subgrantee have the option to remove locations from a project if a location is served that meets BEAD technical standards. ISPs that have privately served locations should ensure they update their FCC Broadband Data Collection (BDC) filings so that served status appears on the FCC map.
WSBO will take a cautious approach to removing locations from BEAD projects. Once a location is removed from a project, it cannot be added back.
Changing technologies within a project
Question: Can subgrantees change the technology provided to a specific location from the one they proposed in their initial application?
Answer: Yes, but only through a formal scope change request, requiring approval from both WSBO and NTIA.
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