Rural Broadband Funding Insights from Finley – Energizing Innovations Recap
The recent Energizing Innovations Webinar on January 18, 2024, featured Christopher Konechne of Finley, one of the largest telecommunications engineering consulting firms with 70 years of experience in the industry. Konechne delved into several key-insights on rural broadband funding both in 2024 and the year to come.
Rural broadband funding provides financial assistance from the government to expand and improve broadband infrastructure in rural areas. Funding may be allocated to building new infrastructure, upgrading existing networks, or implementing programs to increase broadband adoption in rural areas.
2024 Highlights
Minnesota was among the stand-out states in 2024, closing its round 9 application cycle in spring 2024, with round 10 on the horizon. Notably, Minnesota is one of the few states with an active funding cycle in the near future. Wisconsin closed its cycle in November, anticipating a $23 million reward, while South Dakota’s awardees were announced on December 23. Iowa concluded a cycle in November, securing a substantial $149 million in funding.
The webinar announced several upcoming programs, primarily through the USDA, with a rough timeline provided (see figure 1). FCC programs, such as Enhanced A-Cam support, were discussed, impacting eligible areas, and potentially opening new opportunities. RDOF milestones were outlined, including 40% obligations for year 3 in 2024/2025 and 60% obligations for year 4 in 2025/2026, contingent on FCC contract clearances.
BEAD Key-Insights
A highlight of the webinar was the BEAD program, showcasing $45 billion state allocations. The NTIA decides these allocations based on BDC mapping, legislative criteria, and build-cost models. The image below showcases BEAD funding allocation by state in 2024.
Konechne provided a helpful to-do list of things that can be done while waiting for BEAD, both internally and externally, shown below.
Internal:
- Prep for mapping challenges.
- Revisit and consider planned expansion areas.
- Perform a financial health check.
- Outreach and educate local leaders on your efforts, request future support.
- Update and organize administrative materials and profiles.
External:
- Review and evaluate approved construction contractor lists.
- Meet with existing contractors.
- Visit with vendors and suppliers on current pricing, existing supply chain dynamics, and future forecast models.
- Review opportunities for new relationships.
- Update your profile with contractors, vendors and suppliers.
Click here to watch Finley’s most recent webinar that goes more into depth on BEAD and what you need to know.
For more detailed information on rural broadband funding, please refer to the webinar recording available on our resources page. Alternatively, reach out to us here if you wish to explore how to leverage this information for your upcoming projects with EMS and Finley.
