~ The 30-day Public Comment Period is Open from November 15 to December 15 ~ 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, FloridaCommerce announced that the 30-day public comment period for the State of Florida’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Initial Proposal Volume I begins Today, Wednesday, November 15, 2023, and ends on Friday, December 15, 2023, at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time. Florida’s Initial Proposal Volume I is part of Florida’s plan to operationalize more than $1.6 billion in BEAD funding and it is available for review at FloridaJobs.org/Broadband.

In 2023, the state of Florida was allocated more than $1.16 billion through the federal BEAD program to facilitate the expansion of broadband Internet and service access across the state. Prior to launching the full program in 2024, Florida must first develop an initial proposal to be submitted to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) by December 27, 2023. Florida’s initial proposal will be submitted through two volumes:

• Volume I addresses four BEAD requirements, including FloridaCommerce’s plan for the challenge process, identifying existing broadband funding, listing unserved and underserved locations throughout the state, and defining and listing Community Anchor Institutions.
• Volume II will address the remaining initial proposal requirements, including a description of the BEAD application process, non-deployment activities, and workforce initiatives.