Item 3 Backup — original pdf

Backup

BEAD & NTIA Update Technology Commission Economic Development Department (EDD) March 5, 2025 Khotan Harmon BEAD – (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) • BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) Program is a $42.45 Billion Dollars in Broadband funding to all 50 states to help expand high-speed internet access and use (focused mainly on infrastructure buildout). • • Texas was allocated $3.3 billion (most of any state) to to support infrastructure deployment, mapping and adoption, including planning and capacity-building. Texas residents voted in 2023 for an additional $1.5 Billion for broadband expansion in Texas. Texas has: $4.8 billion! • Austin/Travis – affordability is the biggest barrier to connectivity, not infrastructure • White House circulated a memo on January 27, 2025 "directing agencies to pause all federal grant disbursements pending reviews of their ideological alignment with the Trump administration, causing confusion in the industry over the fate of BEAD and other programs." https://broadbandbreakfast.com/lutnick-receptive-to-gop-critiques-of-bead-declines-to-commit- to-approved-spending/ • March 5, 2025 – Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick – “rigorous review” of BEAD and ”tech-neutral” approach. https://www.route-fifty.com/digital-government/2025/03/commerce-secretary-announces-rigorous-review-bead- program/403494/?oref=rf-home-top-story • Additionally - Sen Ted Cruz issued statement that there would be big changes ahead for BEAD: https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2024/11/sen-cruz-warns-biden-harris-ntia-big-changes-ahead-for-multi-billion- dollar-broadband-boondoggle C I T Y O F A U S T I N NTIA – DIGITAL EQUITY COMPETITIVE GRANT NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) had scheduled two rounds of funding for the Digital Equity Competitive Grant, they ended up making recommendations for more than $369 million to 41 organizations nationally. According to the NTIA "This funding comes from the $1.25 billion Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program, one of three Digital Equity Act grant programs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law." The list of their recommendations for funding for the competitive grant was shared on the NTIA website on 1/17/2025: https://www.ntia.gov/other-publication/2025/digital-equity-competitive-grant-program-applications- recommended-award Austin supported the application of a Central Texas partners for $12 million dollars with $$$ match. No status update from NTIA at this time. C I T Y O F A U S T I N C I T Y O F A U S T I N