Washington Signs First BEAD Contracts

Washington’s first wave of BEAD projects is moving into preconstruction.

On September 24, the Washington State Broadband Office announced finalized agreements with seven awardees. Together, the agreements represent more than $165 million in combined federal, state and private funding and are expected to connect approximately 28,450 households once construction is complete.

The awardees include private providers, Kitsap Public Utility District, the Lummi Indian Business Council and the Spokane Indian Tribe.

With the agreements in place, environmental and historic-preservation reviews, along with other permitting activities, can begin. The office says the environmental and historic-preservation reviews must be completed before construction starts.

The projects will bring fiber and other qualifying broadband technologies to communities across eastern and western Washington that lack reliable high-speed internet.

Additional agreements are expected as the state continues its BEAD rollout. The broadband office says subgrantees have until October 8 to sign their contracts, with most locations expected to be connected within four years of contract execution.

AT&T and Corning Strike Fiber Supply Deal

AT&T and Corning have announced a multiyear agreement valued at more than $3 billion to supply fiber and cable for AT&T’s network expansion.

Announced September 29, the agreement comes as growing household data use and demand tied to artificial intelligence drive additional network investment.

AT&T says its average fiber household now uses more than one terabyte of data each month, five times the amount used in 2016. The company expects monthly usage to reach between two and two-and-a-half terabytes by 2030.

The companies also emphasized the agreement’s connection to domestic manufacturing. Corning’s U.S. workforce produces the fiber, while AT&T technicians build and maintain the networks connecting homes and businesses.

Corning says it continues to expand U.S. fiber and cable manufacturing, including at facilities in North Carolina.

The commercial supply agreement supports those domestic manufacturing operations as AT&T secures materials for its network expansion. The companies say their collaboration will also help accelerate deployment and improve installation efficiency.

Wisconsin Details Satellite Payment Milestones

Wisconsin is detailing how satellite providers must document progress to receive payments through the state’s BEAD program.

In guidance published September 15, the Public Service Commission outlined milestones for low-Earth-orbit satellite capacity grants, covering eligible expenses, service availability, subscriber adoption and long-term performance.

Providers must certify sufficient capacity for every awarded location and the ability to initiate service within 10 business days. Extending service cannot result in additional charges or delays, including for customers who do not wish to install equipment themselves.

Later milestones require evidence that increasing shares of awarded locations have subscribers who began service after the provider’s certification request, or existing customers who received new equipment after that request.

The final milestone includes grant closeout, required inspections and approved performance testing for each year of the extended performance period. That period lasts 10 years from the commission’s acceptance of the certified network.

The document explains Wisconsin’s baseline requirements. Changes to the milestones require a formal amendment agreed to by both parties.

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