Attendees of the Colorado Wireless Association event last week wanted to know when funds will flow to them from the infrastructure law (see earlier story). In his keynote, WIA President/CEO Jonathan Adelstein explained that Congress provided about $90 million in funds for this effort, spread around various programs.
The National Telecommunications and Infrastructure Administration (NTIA) will distribute $48 billion to states. In turn, states will distribute the money to companies for broadband deployment. “Now they have funding in place,” he said, however, “the money can’t flow until the [new] maps are done,” he said, referring to the FCC’s outdated broadband location maps.
Adelstein estimated it could be “well into 2022. I’m not anticipating a huge chunk of change coming out of NTIA until the third or fourth quarter because they have to wait for the maps to get started.” That’s similar to the timeline cited by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo last week, Inside Towers, reported. She estimated map availability this summer.
The wait for deployment money is happening at the same time telecom contractors and vendors are experiencing shortages of materials and workers. “You can’t get trucks, and there’s a year-long backlog on fiber,” he explained. Adelstein encouraged attendees to engage with TIRAP, the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program and TEC, the Telecommunications Education Center. “We provide incentive funds for employers to register. If you’re trying to get a job as an apprentice, it’s a game-changer for you.”
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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