BEAD MARKET SOUNDING
The 45-calendar day (9/23/2024 – 11/ 7/2024) Market Sounding exercise helps to ensure the BEAD Program is designed effectively and meets the needs of all Arizona communities.
THE ARIZONA BEAD PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Arizona was allocated $993.1 million in federal funding to build infrastructure and expand internet access in rural and historically underserved communities. The BEAD Program rules require states to prioritize funds in this order:
- Connect Unserved Locations (available service is 25/3 Megabits per second or less)
- Connect Underserved locations (available service is at least 25/3 Mbps but less than 100/20 Mbps)
- Connect Community Anchor Institutions to gigabit symmetrical service (1,000/1,000 Mbps)
WHAT IS THE “MARKET SOUNDING” Exercise?
- Purpose: To ensure the BEAD Program is designed effectively to address the connectivity needs of communities across Arizona, and ensure 100% of households are connected.
- Timeline: 9/23/2024 – 11/07/2024 (45 Calendar Days)
- Objective: The primary goal of the Market Sounding exercise is to solicit feedback on the Initial Project Area draft for the BEAD Program. This exercise aims to refine and enhance the effectiveness of the BEAD Program, ensuring it aligns with the connectivity needs of Arizona's communities. Through gathering input, the ACA seeks to tailor its approach and make necessary adjustments to better serve the goal of improving internet access across the state.
Who is Eligible to participate IN THE MARKET SOUNDING exercise?
According to the guidelines set by the NTIA, a wide range of stakeholders are encouraged to participate in the market sounding exercise related to the BEAD Program. Market Sounding is not a requirement of NTIA, but a commitment by the ACA to continually ensure transparency and feedback loops throughout the BEAD Program.
BEAD Eligible Subgrantees may participate, which includes local governments, nonprofit organizations, tribal nations and communities, and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). These participants are invited to comment on the Initial Project Area Draft as registered users in the Arizona Broadband Navigator.
MARKET SOUNDING Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Arizona Broadband Navigator User Guide
- Arizona Broadband Navigator Tutorial (Video)
- Arizona Broadband Navigator
additional Resources
- PENDING Post Challenge CAIs 09232024
- PENDING Post Challenge Locations 10012024
- Project Area Polygons GeoJSON
- Post-Challenge Data Dictionary 09232024
The "PENDING" links above are not final. In curing, each data update uses newer FCC maps for true-up and deduplication, which slightly impacts the results. The final list of BEAD-eligible locations will be posted on the ACA website after NTIA approval is received.
Contact our office at [email protected] for any questions or issues accessing the Arizona Broadband Navigator.