Broadband Office Name: Broadband Development Office
BEAD Award Amount: $1.74 B
Missouri Broadband Director: BJ Tanksley
Website: https://ded.mo.gov/
Missouri BEAD Program Tracker
| State | IP Vol 1 Approved | IP Vol 2 Approved | Challenge Process Submission Closed | Challenge Process Final Determination Phase Completed | 1-Year Subgrantee Selection Process |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | Yes | No | Yes – click for more info | Yes | N/A |
Missouri BEAD Program Information
Key Updates
Missouri has completed its Challenge Process and is now working on making its Final Determinations based on the challenge results. This phase will end on June 22, 2024, and the Final Determination results will be submitted to NTIA. Once NTIA approves the final determinations, they will be published.
Click here for more Missouri Challenge Process info: https://ded.mo.gov/office-broadband-development/challenge
Missouri BEAD Program Plans & Maps
Missouri BEAD Program Initial Proposal Volume 2: Overview
*Information is subject to change. Missouri is awaiting official approval of Initial Proposal Volume 2 from the NTIA.
BEAD Long-Term Objectives
The Office of Broadband Deployment (OBD) in Missouri has set the following goals:
- Infrastructure and Availability: Connect all Missourians to high-quality, affordable broadband (100/20 Mbps).
- Sustainability: Build an ecosystem necessary to sustain those connections and ensure that connectivity in Missouri continues to improve beyond the lifetime of the current program.
- Adoption and Impact: Reduce digital inequities and ensure all Missourians can fully take advantage of the opportunities afforded by broadband expansion.
Missouri BEAD Program Project Area Design
Through a Request for Information (RFI) process, providers can submit the areas they are interested in. The Office will then take those areas and create project areas out of the submissions.
Missouri BEAD Program Extremely High Cost Threshold
OBD will issue several advisory figures and a preliminary Extremely High Cost Per Location Threshold (EHCPLT) before a final EHCPLT is set after Round Two applications are received.
They will use CostQuest’s cost modeling, cost data from applications in round one, and funding requests from Round One applications.
BEAD Deployment Subgrantee Selection
OBD is asking for the following preregistration information from subgrantees and compliance with financial capability, managerial capability, operational capability, technical capability, ownership info, project area definition, public funding info, compliance with laws, cybersecurity/supply chain compliance, EHCT process, NEPA/NHPA, and BABA/EHP compliance.
Primary Criteria – Priority Projects
- Minimal BEAD Outlay = [100 – Percent of outlay requested] *2 / 100.
- Affordability = 100 – [monthly price of 1 Gbps/1 Gbps plan].
- Record of Past Compliance – Subgrantees without 3 years of experience would receive a 0.
- Disclosure of Violations – 10 pts (none), 5 pts (some), 0 pts (pattern).
- Disclosure of Safety Records – 10 pts (rate of disclosable cases below average), 5 pts (near average), 0 pts (above average).
- Compliance Elements of Workforce Plan – 10 pts (high confidence in plan), 5 pts (some), 0 pts (none).
- Workplace Safety Committees – 10 pts (high confidence), 5 pts (some), 0 pts (none).
Secondary Criteria
- Speed to Deployment – 20 pts (within 1 year, 10 pts within two years, etc.)
Additional Criteria
- Local Coordination – +8 (if local gov. supports projects), +8 (if local gov. expresses confidence in plans), +8 (if there is local meaningful financial support).
- Use of BUY MISSOURI Products – 4 pts
- Use of Missouri-based sub-contractors – 4 pts
- Equitable Workforce Dev. and Job Quality:
- Training Commitments – 10 pts
- Hiring Commitments – 10 pts
- Direct Employment Commitments – 10 pts
Differences in Scoring for Non-Priority Projects:
- Affordability – 100 – [Monthly price of 100 Mbps/20 Mbps plan]
- Speed to Deployment – Up to 16 pts
- Speed of Network/Other Capabilities:
- Speed and Latency – Max 8 pts for >= 1000/250 Mbps + 100 ms
- Useful Life – 4 pts (> 10 years), 2 pts (> 5 years).
- Scalability – 4 pts
- Local Coordination – 6 pts instead of 8
- Training/Hiring/Direct Employment Commitments – All up to 8 pts
- Use of BUY MISSOURI Products and Missouri-based subcontractors – 3 pts
BEAD Non-Deployment Subgrantee Selection
OBD is not yet able to determine whether it will be able to engage in activities beyond last-mile deployment projects.
To the extent that funds remain after a commitment is secured for every BEAD-eligible location, OBD will use the framework proposed in Missouri’s Digital Equity Plan to develop a fair, open, and competitive process for identifying subgrantees capable of overcoming barriers.
BEAD Eligible Entity Implementation Activities
OBD proposes to implement limited initiatives without making a subgrant. These include:
- Grant management for broadband programs
- Implementation of state challenge process
- Implementation of the subgrantee selection process
- Broadband availability mapping and associated data collection
- Continuing public engagement around the BEAD program.
BEAD Local, Tribe, and Regional Broadband Planning Process
Several different methods were used to reach the covered populations, including listening sessions, informational meetings, a Missouri internet survey, and state cohorts.
There are no federally recognized tribes in Missouri.
The Regional Planning Commission and St. Louis County Library system were tasked with creating regional lists of stakeholders.
- Engagements included emails, phone calls, flyers, and connecting businesses.
- 23 in-person sessions were held on BEAD and DEA. 625 Missourians in 19 different regions attended.
- OBD holds monthly stakeholder calls on the last Friday with 50-100 attendees.
- OBD also launched a media campaign which included a radio ad (aired 3,659 times), Facebook ad (reached 14,768), and mailed over 20,000 postcards.x
- Working with the Univ. of Missouri, provided a survey to residents. This is available online and mailed over 80,000 postcards with a QR code. 7,504 people completed this survey.
- OBD developed a Advisory Council to provide guidance through the planning process.
- Conducted 20 total focus groups with 12 participants each to better understand needs and challenges. 11 on Zoom and in-person.
BEAD Labor Standards & Protection
OBD requires all subgrantees to submit the following information:
A record of past compliance with federal/employment laws:
- Must address compliance on deployment projects within the last 3 years.
- Certification form from an Officer/Director level employee of past compliance.
- Written confirmation that the subgrantee has disclosed any violations from contractors within the last 3 years.
- Copies of OSHA form 300A.
Plans for ensuring compliance with federal/employment laws:
- Wages/benefits by worker classification.
- Wages/benefit information.
- How labor disputes are minimized.
- Steps for safety/healthy workplace.
OBD does not intend to make any labor standards and protections mandatory for subgrantees.
BEAD Minority Business Enterprises / Women’s Business Enterprises / Labor Surplus Area Firms Inclusion
OBD conducted a stakeholder engagement tour around the state to spread awareness and collect input. OBD engaged with several entities that deal with MBEs and WBEs:
- Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, HBCUs, Digital Equity affiliated companies, Minority-led non-profits, and the Missouri Office of Equal Opportunity.
The State of Missouri will:
- Place qualified MBEs/WBEs on solicitation lists;
- Assuring that MBEs/WBEs are solicited whenever they are potential sources.
- Dividing total requirements, when economically feasible, into smaller tasks or quantities.
- Establishing delivery schedules which encourage participation.
- Using the services and assistance of such organizations as the Small Business Administration and the Minority Business Development Agency of the Department of Commerce.
- Requiring subgrantees to take the affirmative steps listed above as it relates to subcontractors.
BEAD Cost & Barrier Reduction
The following responses by OBD will help reduce costs and barriers:
- Improved communication: OBD plans to gather and publicize reliable contacts for BEAD applicants and other stakeholders.
- Gain certification from Missouri 811: OBD will require employees of subgrantee to take the Missouri 811 Missouri Damage Prevention Awareness Training Course.
- Flagging and Marking: OBD plans to require all subgrantees and contractors to use the Missouri 811 online portal to request markings or flagging of underground utilities.
- Streamlining permitting: OBD will work with local gov. to communicate best practices for streamlining processes.
- Documentation and Communication of BEAD Commitments: OBD will document relevant information about BEAD-funded projects and communicate them to stakeholders.
BEAD Low-Cost Broadband Service Option
OBD offers two low-cost service options:
Service 1: Costs $30 per month or less, inclusive of all fees, or no more than the subsidy available through ACP or a successor.
- Allows end users to apply to ACP.
- Speeds of 100/20 Mbps.
- Latency measurements of no more than 100 ms.
- Not subject to data charges, surcharges, or usage-based throttling.
- Free upgrade if provider later offers better service.
- Required to participate in ACP.
- Post the terms of low-cost options and other commitments.
Service 2: Costs $50 per month or less, inclusive of all fees, as long as the device subsidy portion of ACP is available.
- *same requirements as above.
BEAD Middle-Class Affordability Plans
OBD’s general mechanism for making affordable broadband available to middle-class families in BEAD-funded networks is the heavyweight assigned to the NTIA-mandated affordability metric (cost of 1 Gbps/1 Gbps service) incorporated into the scoring of competitive BEAD proposals.
OBD will require providers to submit non-promotional pricing information for all packages offered on BEAD networks, not just 1 Gbps/1 Gbps plans.
