Broadband Infrastructure Grant (BIG)
The Benefit of the Bargain (BoB) round application portal for the Broadband Infrastructure Grant (BIG), funded by the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, is currently open and will close Friday, July 11, at 5:00 p.m. MST.
The revised round is in response to the NTIA BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice. This round invites registered or new applicants to register and submit proposals, or resubmit proposals submitted in the BIG BEAD formal application, for the Benefit of the Bargain round. The goal is to achieve 100% coverage. The registration and the pre-application portal are open if you have not yet registered. Registration and pre-application are required to submit a BIG BEAD formal application.
All proposals are subject to a review, scoring, and awarding process as outlined in Utah’s Initial Proposal Vol II, excluding changes noted in the Restructuring Policy Notice. Each project area requires a minimum 25% match contribution. Non-match proposals must be accompanied by a waiver and justification for the match to be waived; otherwise, the project may default to a Low Earth Orbit satellite.
If you have inquiries, please email [email protected] or call 801-538-8681.
BEAD Restructuring: Unlicensed Fixed Wireless and Broadband Equity & Access Deployment Location Eligibility
Unlicensed fixed wireless (ULFW) providers in Utah are notified they have seven calendar days (until Wednesday, June 18, 2025 by 5:00 pm) to indicate that they intend to submit evidence that Broadband Equity Access & Deployment (BEAD) funding is not required for the locations they serve in line with major federal revisions to the BEAD program in the BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice published June 6, 2025 (see Section 4: Optimizing BEAD Locations and Appendix A).
Please respond to Utah Broadband Center (UBC) if you intend to submit evidence: [email protected]
Utah’s policy was based on the “Alternative Broadband Technology Policy Notice,” which has since been rescinded by the National Telecommunications & Infrastructure Administration (NTIA). Among other differences, this new process will have implications for a location’s eligibility for funding projects using any technology under the BEAD program, not just satellite or ULFW service.
ULFW providers will have seven calendar days from their notice to UBC to submit documentation supporting the claim that the existing ULFW service meets the same technical and service standards required for a BEAD subgrant (see Appendix A of the Restructuring BEAD Policy Notice). If a ULFW service provider demonstrates that it meets the requirements specified by this Policy Notice, the served locations will be ineligible for BEAD Program funding.
Providers should review the technical criteria in Appendix A and be prepared to submit appropriate documentation. Only locations where the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) National Broadband Map indicates potentially qualifying ULFW service is currently available will be considered in terms of determining BEAD eligibility. (June 6, 2025)