The Board of Public Utilities (BPU) Office of Broadband Connectivity (OBC) is announcing its Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Challenge Process (BEAD). The BEAD Challenge Process allows stakeholders to challenge the accuracy of locations deemed eligible for funding. These locations are categorized as unserved or underserved broadband serviceable locations (BSL) and are not covered by an enforceable broadband commitment. Once the challenge process is complete, the finalized map of unserved and underserved locations will be the definitive guide for determining eligible infrastructure projects funded through BEAD.
Key Classifications:
Unserved Location: A BSL lacking access to Reliable Broadband Service, defined as speeds of at least 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream, with latency levels sufficient for real-time, interactive applications.
Underserved Location: A BSL that does not have Reliable Broadband Service with speeds of at least 100 Mbps downstream and 20 Mbps upstream, also requiring low latency for real-time applications.
Eligible challengers, including Internet Service Providers, local governments, non-profit organizations, and Tribal governments, are invited to review and challenge the data to ensure its accuracy. Preregistration for eligible challengers is now open. To pre-register and for more information and a detailed timeline, visit the challenge process webpage.
Contact: Andrew LaFevre, Legislative Analyst, alafevre@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x116.