Unpacking Approved BEAD Volume 2s: Rhode Island

NTIA recently approved Rhode Island’s BEAD Initial Proposal Volume 2 (V2). The ACLP has compared the final version with the version that the state submitted to NTIA last fall. A redlined comparison is available here. The following major changes were evident:

Subgrantee Selection Process

Deployment of Projects Prior to Approval of Final Proposal

The state added language about how it will allow certain BEAD projects to commence before it receives approval of its Final Proposal. In particular, the state notes that proposals that include at least 80% unserved BSLs and are in areas where the percentage of individuals with incomes at or below 150% of the federal poverty line is higher than the national average will be eligible to receive funding before the state gets formal NTIA approval of its Final Proposal. The state will create PAUs that meet these criteria so that at least some projects can begin as soon as possible.

Possibility of a Second Round

The state clarified that a second round is entirely in its discretion. In the First Round, the state will focus only on fiber proposals. If PAUs remain after the first round, the state may revise the PAUs and launch a second round, or it might proceed directly to ISP negotiation if there are few remaining PAUs.

Extremely High-Cost Threshold

The state will set the EHCPLT after it receives Round 1 proposals; any proposal in Round 1 that exceeds the threshold will be disqualified. Applicants that are disqualified can revise their proposal and resubmit it during Round 2 (if there is one).

Middle-Class Affordability

The state noted that another component of its middle-class affordability plan is the weight it will assign to affordability in its CPF program. In particular, the state notes that “affordability will be the largest and most significant scoring criteria” in its forthcoming CPF program focused on last-mile broadband.