The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) and NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association have released the Broadband Infrastructure Playbook 3.0.
Playbook 3.0 combines four deep-dive modules that aim to help state broadband offices as they make decisions on critical aspects of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program and complete their initial proposals for NTIA review before a December 27 deadline.
Not long after the BEAD program was created, FBA and NTCA developed the first Broadband Infrastructure Playbook to map out key issues that states must address as they implement the BEAD program. Playbook 2.0 was published shortly after NTIA released its BEAD Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), updating recommendations based on processes and requirements outlined in that notice.
Since the NTIA released its BEAD NOFO, the agency has further defined BEAD requirements and set the course for implementation, prompting FBA and NTCA to release a series of four Playbook 3.0 modules that provide deeper detail, analysis, and advice on key topics during this critical stage of BEAD development. The full Broadband Infrastructure Playbook 3.0 combines all four modules into one complete resource for state broadband offices as they work to complete their initial proposals, and for other interested stakeholders to engage with the offices as decisions are made.
The Broadband Infrastructure Playbook 3.0 includes four new modules that offer solutions to some of the most challenging BEAD proposal requirements:
Permitting: Access to State and Local Rights-of-Way and Infrastructure
Achieving Digital Opportunity through BEAD Grants (Extremely High Cost per Location Threshold)
Broadband Mapping Challenge Processes
Cybersecurity and Supply Chain Risk Management Under the BEAD Program
“The Playbook 3.0 modules are fundamental to every state’s funding implementation plans, so we want to ensure each state broadband office is able to address these policy elements confidently and correctly,” said Gary Bolton, President and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association. “Together with NTCA, we developed the series of Broadband Infrastructure Playbooks to provide recommendations to help realize the promise of this unprecedented investment opportunity. We aim to ensure that states can implement BEAD in ways that will have meaningful and lasting impacts.”
Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of NTCA agreed and added that the Broadband Infrastructure Playbook 3.0 offers critical guidance for state broadband offices as they craft their initial proposals.
"The BEAD program presents a historic opportunity to deliver broadband to unserved and underserved areas, and we must leverage these resources to build networks that will keep pace with consumer needs for decades to come,” she said.
The Broadband Infrastructure Playbook 3.0 was developed in partnership with Cartesian. FBA, NTCA, and Cartesian presented highlights of the Playbook 3.0 in a webinar, “Internet for All – Getting BEAD Right, Now: An Overview of FBA and NTCA’s Playbook 3.0 on BEAD Implementation.” The webinar is available for replay here.