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BEAD Process

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​Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment (BEAD) Program​​

​​The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program was created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to provide access to reliable and affordable high-speed internet for everyone. The National Telecommunications and Information Association (​NTIA) oversees the BEAD program and has delegated primary administration to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.  

The BEAD program allocates $1,055,823,573.51 to Wisconsin to ensure all locations in Wisconsin have access to 100 megabits per second download and 20 megabits per second upload or faster internet. Entities eligible to apply for BEAD funding were those that will own and operate the deployed broadband infrastructure, and include but are not limited to internet service providers, telephone and electric cooperatives, and certain local governments.

​Total Wisconsin BEAD Funding
​Purpose
​Eligible BEAD Funded Locations
​$1,055,823,573.71
​Every Wisconsinite has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet
  • ​Unserved households and businesses lacking 25/3 Mbps.
  • Underserved households and business lacking 100/20 Mbps. ​

​Jump to Section

Estimated ​Timeline
BEAD Challenge Process
BEAD ​Subgranting Process
​BEAD Final Approval Process​​​​

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​Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program Timeline​ 

BEAD is being implemented in several phases. During 2023, the Commission engaged in robust outreach and planning efforts to develop the BEAD Five Year Action​ (see the Planning Activities page for more information). After completing planning, the Wisconsin Broadband Office developed the BEAD Initial Proposal Volume 1 and Initial Proposal Volume 2​, which outlines the process it will follow to achieve universal service for all broadband serviceable locations in Wisconsin. The implementation phase of BEAD included the Letter of Intent Process, administration of subsequent grant rounds, and the completion and submission of the BEAD Final Proposal Draft.

NTIA released theBEAD Restructuring Policy Notice​ on June 6, 2025, which required the Commission to rescind preliminary awards in order to conduct the Benefit of the Bargain (BOB) grant round that adheres to new requirements of the BEAD subgranting process. 

Upon approval of the Final Proposal by NTIA, environmental reviews and final engineering plans of projects will begin. Construction is generally anticipated to begin in 2026, and projects are expected to be completed within four years of award.​

The timeline below shows the implementation of the BEAD Program to date, with estimates for future implementation steps. 

​​Flowchart of BEAD Timeline Fully Described in Image Caption

*These are estimates and actual dates are contingent upon NTIA actions. 2022: May 17. Gov. Evers submits letter of intent; June - Dec. Initial planning fund application submitted; $5 million in planning funds will be allocated to WBO starting December 1. 2023: Jan. - Aug. WBO BEAD Planning: Workforce and Local Planning Grant programs, Listening Tour, and surveys; Allocation announced June 26; Aug 28. 5-year State Action Plan submitted; Dec. 27 Initial Proposal due. 2024: April - Nov. State Challenge Process; Aug. - Nov. Letter of Intent submission window (phase 1). 2025: Jan. 13 BEAD Grant Round 1 began; May 8 BEAD Grant Round 2 began; June 6 BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice released by NTIA; June 13 WI rescinds preliminary awards per requirement of Policy Notice and begins planning Benefit of the Bargain (BOB) grant round; June 17-30 BEAD BOB Letter of Intent submission window open; July 17-28 BOB Grant Round. 2025 (cont.) July 29 - Aug. 21 Negotiations for locations not awarded in BOB round; Aug. 22  Draft Final Proposal and Commission Memo published for public comment; Sept. 3 Draft Final Proposal approved at Commission open meeting and submitted to NTIA for approval; Sept. - Nov. Curing and ongoing negotiations per NTIA guidance; Oct. - Dec. Begin collecting required documentation from awardees while awaiting final NTIA approval. 2026*​ Jan. - Feb. Likely to receive NTIA approval of Final Proposal and BEAD awards; Continue collecting required documentation from subgrantees; Feb.- May Execute BEAD Grant Agreements.

BEAD Challenge Process 

Implementation of BEAD takes place in two phases. The first is the BEAD Challenge Process outlined in its approved BEAD Initial Proposal Volume 1​​ which was used to establish the final list of broadband serviceable locations (BSLs) eligible for BEAD funding. Participants were given the opportunity to contest a particular BSL’s status as unserved (lacking 25/3 Mbps) or underserved (lacking 100/20 Mbps) and thus eligible for funding. Changing a location’s status to unserved or underserved would make it eligible for BEAD funding. Participants could also challenge the status of a location as a community anchor institution.  

The BEAD Challenge Process was operated in three phases. The Challenge Submission Window was open from April 29, 2024 to May 29, 2024, the Rebuttal Submission Window was open from June 20, 2024 to July 20, 2024, and the final determination by the Commission was made on August 20, 2024. The Commission submitted the results of the challenge process, and the preliminary list of locations eligible for BEAD, to NTIA on August 27, 2024. The BEAD Challenge Process results were approved by NTIA on November 19, 2024. 

The BEAD Challenge Process was implemented under the docket 5-BCH-2024​, which contains all challenges received, instructional documents, and the results of the challenge process. The following documents outline the results of the challenge process: 

BEAD Sub​​granting Process 

The second phase of implementation is the BEAD subgranting process. The State of Wisconsin’s BEAD Initial Proposal Volume 2​ was approved by NTIA on July 29, 2024. Initially, the approval of Volume 2 began a 365-day timeline to conduct a grant process and identify an awardee and technology to be deployed to all eligible locations. 
From August 2024 to May 2025, the Commission conducted two subgranting rounds in which 98% of BEAD eligible locations would have been awarded. 

On June 6, 2025, NTIA released the BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice. The policy notice makes programmatic changes and removes certain requirements ​of the BEAD Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). NTIA has removed requirements in the NOFO such as requirements related to local coordination and engagement, labor, employment, workforce development, climate resilience,  affordabilty and middle-class affordability plans, and consumer protections. For more information on the policy notice changes, seeBEAD Program Changes One Pager.​

The policy notice also requires the Commission to rescind the previous preliminary awards to conduct the "Benefit of the Bargain" (BOB) grant round that reflects the changes of the policy notice. Primary criteria for awarding BEAD funds in the BOB round has changed to only lowest cost minimal BEAD program outlay. There is secondary criteria for awarding BEAD funds if multiple applications for the same area are within 15% of the total project proposal bid. The secondary criteria is based on speed to deployment, speed of network and other technical capabilities, and previous preliminary subawardees. 

NTIA has taken a technology neutral approach for the BOB round. This means priority projects will include any type of thecynology such as fiber, fixed wireless (FW), unlicensed fixed wireless (ULFW) and low earth orbital (LEO) satellite services as long as the technology​ meets the priority project requirements of service speeds of 100 Mbps/20 Mbps, has latency at most 100 milliseconds, and scalability to meet 5G and other future wireless services.

​Due to the policy notice changes, the Commission conducted a new Letter of Intent​ (LOI) process for potential BEAD applicants from June 17, 2025 to June 30, 2025. The ​previously approved LOI applicants were not required to submit a new LOI. For a list of approved LOIs, see BEAD Round One Sub-Granting Selection Process to Begin​; PSC REF#: 544411; and PSC REF#: 541533.

​BEAD Final Approval Process​

The due date for the Final Proposal changed from the initial 365-day timeline and was due to NTIA by September 4, 2025. Commission staff prepared theBEAD Final Proposal Draft​ and published it for the required seven day public comment period in docket 5-BD-2025 held from August 22, 2025 to August 29, 2025. The Commission considered the BEAD Final Proposal in a September 3, 2025 Open meeting, directing staff to work with NTIA to gain approval of the Final Proposal and the preliminary awards. Since submission of the Final Proposal to NTIA, staff have been working with NTIA on cures and navigating addtional guidance to gain final approval. 

For addtional information see the BEAD Grant Webpage​ and docket 5-BD-2025. For questions related to BEAD, contact PSCBEADGrants@wisconsin.gov​​

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