While Virginia is eager to get digitally connected, and use BEAD funds to do it, just how to accomplish that goal has proven to be a complicated endeavor. As CenterSquare.com reports, officials in Virginia have discovered that the $1.48 million received in BEAD funding has been both a blessing and a curse.
“I have 21 years of federal grants experience, and … this is probably the most burdensome federal program that I will administer in my career,” stated Virginia’s Director of the Office of Broadband, Tamarah Holmes.
The money to continue with the state’s broadband plan is appreciated, noted Holmes, but some of the restrictions involved in applying the funds can be difficult to navigate. Some delivery methods appear to align more readily with BEAD administration, but different populations call for different delivery solutions. “BEAD does have a preference for fiber,” Holmes stated. “However, we have hollers and mountains in Virginia, so fixed wireless and other technologies may be a solution.”
One of the downsides of accepting the BEAD money, she told CenterSquare.com, is that it makes it more difficult to participate in Connect America Fund Phase II Model and the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auctions. Holmes called on the FCC to do a better job of communicating.
Nevertheless, Holmes optimistically stated that, “We will actually be able to commit all the funding that’s needed to make sure that every home, business and community anchor [in Virginia] has access to universal broadband with $1.48 billion — and have money left over to really look at adoption and affordability, which is important as we look at subscribership.”
Reader Interactions