The Nevada Governor’s Office of Science, Innovation, and Technology (OSIT) has given the green light to the Initial Proposal Volume II of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. The objective of this initiative is to establish high-speed Internet infrastructure in locations throughout the state that are currently unserved or underserved, as well as in Community Anchor Institution locations.
Brian Mitchell, director of OSIT, expressed his gratitude for the approval in an April 18 press release. “This approval was the culmination of many hours of hard work by many people. I want to thank my team, Nevada’s Federal Program Officer Jack Conroy, and our reviewing Federal Program Officer and team for all their help and support through the process,” he said. Mitchell also extended his thanks to “the thousands of Nevadans that contributed their voice to the creation of the Initial Proposal.” He went on to say that “Approval of [the] Initial Proposal allows OSIT to move to the next step of the BEAD program, subgrantee selection.”
According to this press release, the BEAD program was established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). It provides federal funding for broadband planning, deployment, mapping, equity, and adoption activities across all 50 states. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) oversees this program. From a total sum of $42.5 billion provided to all states combined, Nevada received an allocation of $416 million for its own BEAD program.
As per the same press release, OSIT is tasked with realizing Nevada’s vision for broadband access: ensuring that every resident within the state has access to affordable high-speed Internet. This body will be responsible for administering Nevada’s BEAD Program.
