6 minute read
In the money: Five steps to winning wireless government funding
by Brooke Coleman, Senior Manager of Business Development, Widelity, Inc., “Regional Connect Magazine” guest writer
For broadband providers in the US, there are currently many initiatives in place offering significant government funding for wireless projects that fill service gaps and help move all Americans toward a better broadband experience.
In actively going after those dollars, however, you’ll find that keeping track of specific fund qualifications, important application deadlines and program updates is easier said than done. The numerous moving, often changing parts that comprise these opportunities can present ongoing and difficult challenges capable of marring your best efforts in crossing the funding finish line. Timing is a big part of achieving success. Toward that end, know that some programs have already allocated funds to states and territories and created Federal Communications Commission (FCC) maps that identify specific areas of need. These programs are gearing up and will allow you to submit project bid applications in late 2023, early 2024.
Although some months away, you’ll want to use that time wisely to plan, build and support a winning wireless proposal.
So, if you’re serious about submitting a bid and ready to start navigating the process, we’ve put together some help. It comes in the form of five action steps that will increase your odds of landing in the money.
Step 1: Get with the programs
You’ll want to focus on three different levels of funding—federal, state and county.
While federal programs have basic program goals and requirements in place, flexibility is often provided for individual states and territories to revise objectives and qualifying criteria to serve specific regional preferences.
Consequently, it’s important for you to know that a program’s specific rules and regulations as well as the awarding and distribution of funds will be largely determined by state/territory administrators.
There are two major federal programs you should be aware of: the BEAD (Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment) Program and the 5G Fund.
Make BEAD, with more than USD 40 billion for allocation to all US states and territories, your main focus, as currently, the 5G Fund’s USD 9 billion total has been placed on hold for 18 to 24 months by the FCC.
At the state level, you’ll want to consider the Capital Projects Fund, which will distribute USD 10 billion among the 50 states.
You should also look into programs that are emerging out of COVID funds for the American Rescue Plan. A large amount of funding is represented here, but it isn’t exclusively meant for broadband. Counties can also choose to spend these dollars on sewer or water projects.
Step 2: Learn the requirements
It’s essential to start familiarizing yourself with program goals and requirements.
For the BEAD Program, which mandates the completion of all projects by 2028, each state receives USD 100 million, and each territory is given USD 25 million. After that distribution, any remaining funds are divided on an as-needed basis.
One broad federal goal is for all unserved and underserved locations to be connected using these government dollars.
Unserved and underserved communities might include tribal, rural and extreme poverty areas. From a broadband speed perspective, unserved areas are speeds below 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload. Underserved constitutes anything below 100Mbps for downloads and 20Mbps for uploads.
The minimum broadband speeds you must achieve are 100Mbps for downloads and 20Mbps for uploads. On the aspirational side, you’ll want to aim for both download and upload speeds of 100Mbps.
Keep in mind, too, that government, by and large, will more likely fund your project if it is committed to long-term sustainability.
You can stay on top of the process by educating yourself on BEAD Program requirements and working solutions into your application as you go. Other requirements to be aware of include low latency for real-time interactivity, outages averaging less than 48 hours per year, reliable service for every broadband customer and at least one lowcost service option.
Step 3: Self-advocate
By June 30 of this year, finalized FCC maps will be used to make state funding announcements for the BEAD Program. After that, your window to apply will arrive all too soon—as early as late 2023.
So, now is the time for you to selfadvocate by registering with your local broadband office and start interacting with the people handling BEAD and other programs for your state or territory.
A smart move is to position yourself and wireless as positive answers to the ongoing communications needs that your community currently has and will need in the future. In doing so, you’ll emphasize the special value of wireless in serving areas that are too inaccessible, sparsely populated and/or prohibitively expensive for installing fiber.
This is also a time for you to conduct research, gather documentation and consult with firms like Ericsson or Widelity that can provide telecommunications and government funding expertise.
Step 4: Build your narrative and apply
First and foremost, you need to understand the award format a program is using and then align your content with it. This is critical to building a successful application narrative.
The two award formats to know about are competitive grant and reverse auction.
A competitive grant places high value on the quality of components and system performance, while reverse auction tends to prioritize cost over other considerations. With a reverse auction, the lowest cost bid typically gets the award.
Conversely, for a competitive grant, you will want to emphasize scalability, capability, capacity and the ability to upgrade in the future.
Regardless of the awards format, you can expect a government funding program to require a 25 percent match. This means your company will have to provide at least a quarter of the overall cost.
Step 5: Go to “Making Waves” and the Digital Asset Library for more support
For more detailed information on government funding opportunities and the steps to qualify, watch the webinar, Making Waves: Government Funding for Wireless at http://t.eric.sn/42rH0yr. This is a joint presentation from Widelity and Ericsson that originally aired in December 2022.
You’ll find many valuable tools, tips and insights, such as a link to state broadband offices and key contacts. You’ll also have access to mapping resources, including a new FCC map identifying unserved and underserved areas.
In addition, visit Widelity’s Digital Asset Library (DAL) at http://t.eric.sn/3H8aCIu to learn everything about broadband programs in your state(s) and stay informed on program rules and state application requirements.
The wireless government funding process is moving quickly and happening now, so if you’re serious about submitting, don’t delay taking action. Check out the webinar and DAL today to get started.
