Ohio BEAD Challenge Process and Grant Program

The third and fourth round of the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant (ORBEG) program will be implemented using the $793 million in federal Broadband, Equity and Deployment (BEAD) Program funds which were allocated to Ohio by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in June 2023. A prerequisite to executing the ORBEG-BEAD grant program is conducting the Ohio BEAD challenge process. The goal of this process is to finalize the map of broadband serviceable locations (BSLs) and identify community anchor institutions that will be eligible for BEAD grants. Beginning December 19, 2023, the BEAD challenge portal will be published online, and will contain the Ohio broadband map. In early 2024, the challenge process will proceed through the following three phases, and each phase will be executed through the portal:

• Challenge phase: Eligible challengers will be able to submit challenges and supporting evidence.
• Rebuttal phase: Within 21 days of receiving a challenge, service providers will be able to rebut the challenge with supporting evidence.
• Final Determination phase: BroadbandOhio will determine which challenges will be sustained or rejected.