Broadband Office Name: ConnectALL Office (CAO)
BEAD Award Amount: $664.6 M
New York Broadband Director: Joshua Breitbart
Website: https://broadband.ny.gov/?utm_medium=301&utm_source=nysbroadband.ny.gov
New York BEAD Program Tracker
| State | IP Vol 1 Approved | IP Vol 2 Approved | Challenge Process Submission Closed | Submitted Challenge Results to NTIA | Challenge Process Results Approved by NTIA | 1-Year Subgrantee Selection Process |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | Yes | No | Yes | No | N/A | N/A |
New York BEAD Program Information
Key Updates
New York has its Initial Proposal Volume 1 approved and is waiting for NTIA approval of its Initial Proposal Volume 2.
New York has completed its initial State BEAD Challenge Process and is accepting rebuttals until Noon ET on June 26, 2024.
Click here for more information: https://broadband.ny.gov/new-york-state-broadband-challenge-process
New York BEAD Program Plans & Maps
New York BEAD Program Initial Proposal Volume 2: Overview
*Information is subject to change. New York is awaiting official approval of Initial Proposal Volume 2 from the NTIA.
BEAD Long-Term Objectives
The ConnectAll Office (CAO) has the following goals and objectives:
Goal 1: New York’s digital infrastructure will connect all residents and businesses to high-speed, reliable, and affordable broadband.
- All households and businesses in New York have access to highspeed terrestrial broadband infrastructure by 2030.
- Rural cellular coverage will expand every year from 2025 to 2030.
Goal 2: New York will have a robust and competitive internet marketplace to support economic development and benefit New Yorkers with consumer choice.
- At least 100,000 households in affordable housing have access to improved broadband quality, affordability, and choice by 2030.
- At least 20,000 households will have new open-access municipal infrastructure to improve local broadband quality, affordability, and choice by 2030.
- Un/underemployed and historically marginalized New Yorkers will have improved access to at least 2,000 quality jobs created through new investment by 2030.
Goal 3: A statewide mobilization with partners in State, regional, county, local, and Tribal governments, and in the private, nonprofit, and academic sectors will end the digital divide.
- Produce New York’s first-ever State Digital Equity Plan with engagement from every region of the state.
- Invest at least $50 million to implement the State Digital Equity Plan, addressing challenges related to adoption and affordability.
- Identify at least five connectivity innovations to improve internet service access and affordability for rural and/or low-income areas and support economic development.
New York BEAD Program Project Area Design
Project areas will be designated on a range of factors, including geographic boundaries, locations of underserved locations and their proximity to unserved locations, existing infrastructure, geographic factors, and potential competition.
New York BEAD Program Extremely High Cost Threshold
CAO will develop the EHCPLT using the proposed grant funding amounts in the applications received and will iterate on the EHCPLT based on feedback and outcomes from the negotiation process. The EHCPLT will be used in order to determine at what cost per unit (if any) end to-end fiber is too costly to ensure 100% broadband coverage with the funds provided in the BEAD allocation.
BEAD Deployment Subgrantee Selection
CAO 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, workforce readiness, MWBE/LSA participation, natural hazard risk mitigation, low-cost service option, and certification of nondiscrimination/Civil Rights.
Primary Criteria for Priority Projects
- Minimal BEAD Outlay – 30 pts
- Affordability – 15 pts
- Fair Labor Practices – 30 pts
Secondary Criteria
- Speed to deployment – 1 pt
- Local/Tribal Coordination – 10 pts
- Connecting CAIs – 14 pts
Difference for Other Last-Mile Deployments
- Replace Connecting CAIs with Speed of Network/Other Capabilities – 14 pts
BEAD Non-Deployment Subgrantee Selection
CAO does not anticipate supporting non-deployment eligible activities with BEAD
Program funds.
CAO will consider supporting non-deployment activities consistent with the BEAD NOFO.
BEAD Eligible Entity Implementation Activities
CAO plans to implement key grant management activities without issuing a subgrant:
- Implementation of the BEAD challenge process
- Oversight and management of BEAD subgrant applications and issuance
- Overseeing subgrantee compliance
- Development and management of internal systems and controls to manage all BEAD administrative processes
- Subgrantee technical assistance
- Development of the Final Proposal
- Data gathering/measurement to track project implementation
BEAD Local, Tribe, and Regional Broadband Planning Process
Spring 2023, CAO and New York State Libraries (NYSL) established five Digital Equity Task Force (DETF) subcommittees, each focused on a key outcome area: education, health, workforce development, civic and social engagement, and accessibility of government services.
- CAO has held a virtual town hall led by each of the five DETF to inform the State Digital Equity Plan, Five-Year Action Plan, and Initial Proposal.
CAO partnered with the Digital Equity Coalitions and regional partner in each of NY’s 10 regions to host 15 hybrid listening sessions, over 1,200 people.
- Also conducted 47 focus groups with more than 700 participants.
- NYS Internet Access Survey – 5,700 respondants.
- Five virtual roundtables.
- More than 40 interviews and dozens of meetings with potential partners.
- Dozens of direct meetings with Municipal and County governments.
- Site visits to understand conditions of broadband deployment and adoption.
Conducted several rounds of Tribal outreach through letters, email, and phone to invite their participation in a consultation. Members of the Seneca Nation and Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe participated.
BEAD Labor Standards & Protection
CAO 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 subgrantee has disclosed any violations from contractors within the last 3 years.
Plans for ensuring compliance with federal/employment laws:
- Information on applicable wage scales/wages/overtime pay for each class of employee.
- How subgrantees will ensure implementation of workplace safety committees.
- Policies and SOPs to ensure compliance with state/federal labor laws.
Mandatory for all subgrantees:
- Paying prevailing wages/benefits, compliance with Davis-Bacon.
- Use of appropriately skilled workforce.
- Use of appropriately credentialed workforce.
BEAD Minority Business Enterprises / Women’s Business Enterprises / Labor Surplus Area Firms Inclusion
Nearly $3B in State contracts were awarded to MWBE firms during 2022, and more than $24B in State contracts have been awarded since 2011.
New York has a total of 9,765 MWBEs.
CAO will conduct the following activities:
- Establish MWBE participation goals for BEAD funded projects (will work with OCSD).
- Place qualified small MWBEs on solicitation lists.
- MWBEs are solicited when they are potential sources.
- Divide total requirements, when feasible, into smaller tasks to permit maximum participation.
- Establish delivery schedules.
- Use the services and assistance of such organizations as the Small Business Administration and the Minority Business Development Agency of the Department of Commerce.
- Require subgrantees to take affirmative steps.
- Utilize the New York Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) to support MWBEs.
BEAD Cost & Barrier Reduction
Promoting the use of existing infrastructure.
- Streamline access to State rights-of-way and poles.
- Encourage local communities to leverage their poles/conduits.
- Allow access to limited access rights-of-way.
Streamlining permitting processes.
- Technical assistance.
- Collab with key environmental and historic preservation agencies.
- Shrink federal permitting timelines
Reduce construction costs.
- Encourage equipment sharing.
- Reduce drop costs.
- Map pole site locations.
Reduce Labor Costs.
- Strike a balance between skilled/certified labor requirements.
- Increase supply of labor throughout workforce development initiatives.
Reduce Overhead Costs.
- Compliance focused reporting requirements.
- Support subgrantee environmental compliance.
Reduce Material Costs.
- Identify approved vendors compliant with BABA.
- Encourage joint purchase coalitions and agreements.
Reduce the Initial Capital Cost burden on smaller ISPs.
- Connect local and community banks to local subgrantees.
Provide technical assistance and knowledge sharing.
BEAD Low-Cost Broadband Service Option
As of December 2023, 1,677,825 New York households have enrolled in the ACP—establishing New York as one of the leading states in ACP enrollment nationally.
CAO plans to require the following of all subgrantees:
- Available at a price of no more than $65 per month.
- Available for 10 years following completion of the grant funding period.
- Available to all households that meet the eligibility requirements of the ACP.
- Available to households with income equal to or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
- Allows the end user to apply the ACP (or any successor program) subsidy.
- Meets at least 100 Mbps and 20 Mbps.
- Delivers typical latency of no more than 100 milliseconds
- Is not subject to data caps, surcharges, or usage-based throttling.
- Allows subscribers to upgrade at no cost in the event the provider later offers a low-cost plan with higher speeds.
Subgrantees are required to participate in ACP and Lifeline, along with the following:
- Informs prospective consumers of the existence benefit programs.
- Speeds of 100/20.
- Provides typical latency measurements of no more than 100 milliseconds.
- Is not subject to data caps, surcharges, or usage-based throttling.
- Free upgrade if provider later offers better service.
- Broadband consumer labels.
- Compliance with Michigan’s Consumer Protection Act and all other applicable state and federal laws.
BEAD Middle-Class Affordability Plans
An estimated 49% of adults in New York State live in middle-income households.
- $40K – 150K.
CAO will undertake the following activities to promote broadband affordability:
- Foster competition through private investment and innovative technologies.
- Promote, track, and publish benchmarks for consumers to consult.
- Establish metrics and continue monitoring of pricing.
CAO will require each prospective subgrantee to report their best offers for:
- An unbundled broadband product for $50 or less
- An unbundled broadband product for $75 or less
- An unbundled broadband product for $100 or less