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The Broadband Equity Access & Deployment (BEAD) Challenge Process
Welcome to the BEAD Challenge Process. The BEAD program is administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and allocates $147 million to Massachusetts. The BEAD program prioritizes broadband serviceable locations that are unserved (below a 25/3 mpbs threshold), and underserved (below a 100/20 mbps threshold) followed by Community Anchor Institutions, organizations like libraries and schools that facilitate internet use. The Challenge Process is a crucial step to ensure the accuracy of internet availability data and maps for the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) to deploy funding to expand broadband access across the state. Your participation can help provide a precise picture of broadband needs in Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts Challenge Portal will be based on the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) map, with version 4 of the CostQuest fabric data and availability data as of 12/31/23.
MBI is committed to bringing affordable, reliable high-speed internet to every home in Massachusetts. The BEAD Challenge Process is another step towards the state's goal of achieving internet for all.
On this page you will find all the necessary resources to participate in the Challenge Process.
BEAD Challenge Process Timeline
Eligibility - Who can Submit Challenges
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Resident | Local Government | Tribal Government | Community Anchor Institution | Non-profit Organization |
Internet Service Provider (ISP) |
Rebuttal Process
The rebuttal phase opens on July 26. Challenge modifications are still in process and will be finalized by the end of day Monday, July 29. The rebuttal period will remain open in the portal will remain open in the portal until Monday, August 26 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
The rebuttal phase is the second step of the BEAD Challenge Process following the challenge phase. The rebuttal phase allows eligible challengers to rebut the reclassification of a broadband serviceable location (BSL) through submitting acceptable evidence. A rebuttal must be submitted within the 30-day period outlined by MBI from July 26 to August 26.
The rebuttal phase is similar to the challenge phase as Eligible Challengers will be able to submit evidence to reverse a challenge made on a given BSL. The most common type of Eligible Challenger participating during the rebuttal phase will be Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
ISPs will be able to access a dashboard with all of their challenged locations for “service level challenges” (i.e. availability, speed, latency, data cap, technology, and business service only). They will have 30 days to submit evidence to reverse the challenge. Please see the full guidance on acceptable rebuttal evidence starting in Section 2.4 on page 24 of the Standard Operating Procedures/Evidence Review Guidelines (updated 8.15.24).
All other Eligible Challengers will be able to track the remaining challenge types (planned service, enforceable commitment, service is available, location is a CAI and location is not a CAI) in the Open Rebuttals dashboard. All challenges in the Open Rebuttals dashboard will remain open for the Rebuttal phase.
Only ISPs will receive email notifications about the challenges in their respective Rebuttal Dashboards. All other Eligible Challengers must monitor the Open Rebuttals dashboard.
The MBI team will actively review evidence submitted during the Rebuttal Phase. Rebuttal status will be listed as ‘Rebutted’ until it is accepted or rejected. If approved, the rebuttal will change status to ‘Rebuttal Accepted.’ If denied, the rebuttal status will be changed to ‘Rebuttal Rejected.’ All challenges will be moved to the ‘Completed’ section after rebuttal review. Once MBI has accepted or rejected the challenge, there will not be an opportunity for Eligible Challengers to re-submit rebuttals.
MBI will use the information provided by the rebutter to make a final determination on the resolution of the challenge. Once the challenge has gone through evidence validation and rebuttal phases and the rebuttal period has closed, MBI will have 60 days to determine the challenge as “sustained” or “rejected.” MBI will publish the final list of eligible locations online.
Resources
Upcoming Webinars
Office Hours
Volume I, II & Resources
Massachusetts Initial Proposal
Volume I (PDF) Download Here
Massachusetts Initial Proposal
Volume II (PDF) Download Here
BEAD Challenge Open Rebuttals Data (XLS) Download Here
Underserved Locations (CSV) Download Here
Unserved Locations (CSV) Download Here
Community Anchor Institutes (XLS)
Download Here
FCC Broadband Serviceable Locations by Municipality (PDF) Download Here
Challenges by Municipality (XLS) Download Here
Location Challenge Workflow (PDF) Download Here
Past Webinars
The Bead Challenge Process
May 22, 2024
Download Presentations (PDF)
April 4, 2024
View Recording (Video)
Download Presentation (PDF)
June 5, 2024
View Recording (Video)
Download Presentation (PDF)
June 12, 2024
Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs)
Recording (Video)
Download Presentation (PDF)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
Recording (Video)
Download Presentation (PDF)
July 24, 2024
Rebuttal Phase
View Recording (Video)
Download Presentation (PDF)
Technical Assistance
FAQs, June 2024 (PDF)
FAQs, April 2024 (PDF)
How to Register an Account (PDF)
Challenge Portal User Guide (PDF)
Standard Operating Procedures/Evidence Review Guidelines (PDF) last updated on 8/15/24
Area & Multiple Dwelling Unit (MDU) Challenges Flyer (PDF)
Contact
If you would like support from MBI’s contracted partner Connected Nation email: mabeadsupport@connectednation.org.
To contact MBI directly with questions email: mapfeedback@masstech.org.
Find a Registered Eligible Challenger to contact here.
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