Unlicensed Fixed Wireless (ULFW) and BEAD Location Eligibility Notice
As part of the Policy Notice released by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on June 6, MCA is required to release the following notice to ULFW providers which intend to submit evidence and remove locations they claim to serve from BEAD eligibility. Read the notice to take next steps by Friday, June 20.
Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program
Introduction
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The lack of fast, reliable, and affordable broadband is a major problem in rural, suburban, and even urban America. Issues of digital inclusion and accessibility have exacerbated the digital divide, leaving millions of Americans unable to use technology to improve their lives.
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The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program is funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will provide Maine with a $272 million grant that will bring critical resources to fund broadband infrastructure and digital equity for the entire state. The BEAD program prioritizes Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSLs) that are unserved (less than 25/3 Mbps) and underserved (less than 100/20 Mbps).
MCA Contact
​Brian Allenby
Sr. Director, Program Operations
ballenby@maineconnectivity.org
(207) 200-5824
BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice
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On June 6, 2025, the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) released a Policy Notice that calls for updates to the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. These mandatory changes require an evolution of MCA’s current program design and process. The Subgrantee Selection Process, including elements like scoring rubrics, bidding process, and final proposal development must all be updated to align with a new approach that prioritizes cost-efficiency and deployment speed. Regular updates about how MCA will implement these changes will be shared here.
As part of the Policy Notice released by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on June 6, MCA is required to release the following notice to ULFW providers which intend to submit evidence and remove locations they claim to serve from BEAD eligibility. ULFW provides have until Friday, June 20 at 5pm ET to respond via email to bead@maineconnectivity.org.
As a result of the Policy Notice, MCA will need to incorporate required operational and programmatic changes. In total, MCA now has 90 days to complete all outstanding aspects of the BEAD Subgrantee Selection Process and submit Maine's BEAD Final Proposal to NTIA. The timeline to the right highlights key milestones within this new restructure.
Timelines & Milestones
Maine's BEAD Subgrantee Selection Process
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The Subgrantee Selection Process (SSP) is a two-step process through which MCA will evaluate and select prospective applicants and determine how BEAD funding will be distributed to specific Project Service Areas (PSAs). MCA had conducted the Subgrantee Selection Process earlier in 2024, and is now required to re-open Subgrantee Selection to align goals and outcomes with the BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice. ​​​
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If your organization had not previously pre-qualified and are now interested in entering Maine's BEAD process through the Pre-Qualification Evaluation, please email MCA at bead@maineconnectivity.org as soon as possible.
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Phase 1: Prospective Applicant Pre-Qualification Evaluation
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Prospective applicants will submit organizational-level information (technical, financial, operational and managerial capacity) that demonstrates their ability to meet the requirements of the BEAD program.
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Applicants will also be presented with a map of draft Project Service Areas (PSAs) and asked to indicate which they intend to apply for. Learn more about PSAs below.
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Phase 2: BEAD Project Application
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Pre-Qualified Applicants approved in Phase 1 will be invited to submit project applications for BEAD funding.
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Applicants will provide project-level information, including a bid for specific Project Service Areas (PSAs).
Pre-Qualified Applicants
Project Kuiper (Amazon)
Axiom Technologies
Charter Communications
Consolidated Communications
Comcast
UniTel (Direct Communications)
GWI
INTUS Group
LCI Fiber
Outer Reach Broadband
Pioneer Broadband
Rivahnet (Union River Telephone)
Sebago Fiber
Starlink (SpaceX)
UScellular
Wireless Partners
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Maine's BEAD Project Application Initial Outcomes
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In April, MCA had completed the first BEAD Project Application round with highly competitive results with initial outcomes include 53 applications from 10 applicants, including local, statewide, and national ISPs to serve approximately 79% of eligible locations. These submissions will be reviewed and re-scored to align with the BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice.
Maine's BEAD Project Service Areas (PSAs)
The methodology and model used to construct the PSAs are based on several data sources. Learn more about PSA Methodology and development within the "Project Service Areas (PSAs)" unit in the Resource Exchange module about the Subgrantee Selection Process.
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As an element of the Pre-Qualification Evaluation process, MCA released draft Project Service Areas (including BEAD-eligible locations) to prospective applicants and the public.
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On January 10, 2025, MCA published final BEAD PSAs and Location IDs. ​​During the BEAD Project Application, qualified applicants will bid on these PSAs and making binding commitments to serve approximately 29,000 locations and 3,000 Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs) like libraries, community centers, and healthcare facilities across the state with high-speed internet.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
*No longer considered final based on BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice. Updates will be made soon, see timeline above for more details.
Maine's BEAD State-Led Challenge Process​
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During the State-Led Challenge Process, individuals, nonprofit organizations, units of local government, and internet service providers then had the opportunity to challenge any of the BEAD-eligible locations that MCA identified. Fundamentally, challenges were submitted to determine whether a location has internet speeds below or above 100/20 Mbps. If eligible challengers could provide evidence that a location was misclassified, the location could become eligible for BEAD funding. Once a location was challenged, an eligible challenger could either uphold or refute that challenge and provide further evidence. MCA then adjudicated challenges and rebuttals, the outcome being that final list of BEAD-eligible locations which were then submitted to the NTIA for approval.
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​On November 14, 2024, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved Maine's State Led Challenge Process data resulting in the final list of locations and Community Anchor Institutions eligible for BEAD funding. MCA will now work to finalize the BEAD Project Service Areas (PSAs) reflecting this final data ahead of the BEAD Project Application. MCA is not required to re-run Maine's State-Led Challenge Process according to the BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice, however location eligibility will need to be updated based on certain definitions.
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Maine's BEAD State-Led Challenge Process was MCA’s opportunity to create an accurate map of locations where BEAD funding can be deployed in Maine and represents the next step in unlocking Maine's $272 million BEAD allocation. MCA published an initial list of all served, unserved, underserved locations, and Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs) in Maine in our BEAD Initial Proposal, Volume 1. That list was then refined with the final list of locations being using to conduct the State Led Challenge Process published here.
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​*No longer considered final based on BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice. Updates will be made soon, see timeline above for more details.
Maine's BEAD Initial Proposal (Volume 1 and Volume 2) has been approved! THANK YOU to everyone who contributed during the public comment period!
BEAD Initial Proposal, Volume 1 & 2
Volume 1 includes:
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1.1 Existing Broadband Funding
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1.2 Unserved and Underserved Locations
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1.3 Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs)
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1.4 State Challenge Process
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Volume 2 includes:
2.1 Objectives, 2.2 Local, Tribal, and Regional Broadband Planning Processes, 2.3 Local Coordination, 2.4 Deployment Subgrantee Selection, 2.5 Non-Deployment Subgrantee Selection, 2.6 Eligible Entity Implementation Activities, 2.7 Labor Standards and Protection, 2.8 Workforce Readiness, 2.9 Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs)/Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs), Labor Surplus Firms Inclusion. 2.10 Cost and Barrier Reduction
2.11 Climate Assessment, 2.12 Low-Cost Broadband Service Option, 2.13 Middle-Class Affordability Plans, 2.14 Use of 20 Percent of Funding, 2.15 Eligible Entity Regulatory Approach, 2.16 Certification of Compliance with BEAD Requirements,
​*No longer considered final based on BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice. Updates will be made soon, see timeline above for more details.
Public Engagement
MCA is resuming public Monthly BEAD Update meetings on the second Monday of each month until at least September of this year (July 14, August 11, September 8). Register here, the link is the same for all meetings occurrences.
Maine's Broadband Action Plan and Digital Equity Plan​
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Faced with the opportunity for unprecedented funding, Maine Connectivity Authority facilitated the development of a Broadband Action Plan (BAP) that is rooted in digital equity, in coordination with stakeholders around the state. This plan identifies priorities for investment in broadband and digital equity, and serves as the state’s 5-year road map to bring the economic, health, educational, and social benefits of high-speed internet to all Mainers. Through the BAP process, we strive to understand the challenges and opportunities facing stakeholders from every corner of the state so we can develop effective solutions.
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Following our Reflect and Revise period in June 2023, MCA processed hundreds of pieces of feedback that were received and updated the draft plan. In August 2023, MCA submitted the state's 5-year Broadband Action Plan to the NTIA. In September 2023, MCA submitted the state's first Digital Equity Plan to the NTIA.
We are greatly appreciative of all the insightful comments and helpful feedback that was provided by the people of Maine as we finalize these plans!
