ACLP: Unlicensed Fixed Wireless Policy Means Fewer BEAD-Eligible Locations, Lower Costs
Greater use of unlicensed fixed wireless (ULFW) could reduce the number of remaining BEAD-eligible locations by up to 15%, as long as ULFW providers meet technical requirements, according to an analysis Tuesday by New York Law School's Advanced Communications Law and Policy Institute. ACLP said NTIA's BEAD restructuring notice, issued earlier this month (see 2506060052), allows ULFW to compete for BEAD grants, while locations served by ULFW are potentially no longer eligible for funding. The resulting reduction in eligible locations varies widely from state to state, the analysis said, with some seeing as much as a 30% decrease and others seeing almost no change. Rural Digital Opportunity Fund defaults, meanwhile, could raise the number of eligible locations by 3%, it added.
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Separately, ACLP said the decreasing number of BEAD-eligible locations and the program's new focus on lowest-cost bids could mean that anywhere from $3 billion to $34 billion will be left over. "Most states were likely on track to have BEAD funds remaining after meeting their deployment goals." But with fewer locations to serve and NTIA's "lowest bid wins" directive, states "will probably have even more money left over," ACLP said. States are grappling with tight deadlines to restructure their BEAD plans and undergo a new round of grant applications under the revised rules (see 2506180077).