OAR 123-047-0105: Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program—Handbook

(1) The Department will not publish and adopt as a rule a separate Program Handbook for the BEAD Program. (2) Applicants for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program shall comply with the following requirements (collectively, “BEAD Program Requirements”): (a) 47 U.S.C. 1702 (2021); (b) the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) requirements issued by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIA”) in May 2022; (c) the State of Oregon’s BEAD Program Initial Proposal (Volume 1) as approved by the NTIA; (d) the State of Oregon’s BEAD Program Initial Proposal (Volume 2) as approved by the NTIA (required by the NOFO); and (e) the State of Oregon’s BEAD Program Final Proposal when approved by NTIA (required by the NOFO). (3) The BEAD Program Requirements and standards therein, are incorporated into and adopted as part of this division of administrative rules by reference and have application to the solicitation, review of applications, award and documentation of BEAD Program grants and loans. The BEAD Program Requirements may be accessed online on the Department’s website. (4) In addition to the eligible applicants provided for in OAR 123-047-0045 (1), eligible applicants for the BEAD Program include those authorized by 47 U.S.C. 1702, including cooperatives, public-private partnerships, private companies, public or private utilities, local governments (including any unit, subdivision, authority, or consortium of local governments) and public utility districts.