Understanding the BEAD Process: A Timeline for Addison County

Since 2020, we've been working to expand access to high-speed fiber internet throughout our member towns, and since 2023 we have been working to receive BEAD funding. 

If you've been wondering why some areas are still waiting for service, this timeline shows what's been happening behind the scenes and what still needs to happen before we can break ground in BEAD-funded areas.

What is BEAD?

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program is a federal grant program that provides funding to expand high-speed internet access across the country. Unlike the construction grant funding Maple Broadband received from the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) previously, which was allocated by the Vermont legislature for the purposes of broadband and which designated CUDs and small Vermont-based private companies as eligible to receive funding, BEAD is a competitive grant program with program guidelines set by the federal government.

In June 2023, Vermont was allocated $229 million, and in August 2025, Maple Broadband was named as one of the provisional award recipients to continue to help connect unserved and underserved locations in our service area.

Where We Are Today

NIST Review Process

The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) must sign off on Vermont’s ability to administer the BEAD grants. This is an administrative review, and the agency has been working through approvals on a rolling basis.

NTIA Grant Agreement

The NTIA’s approval of Vermont’s Final Proposal must be finalized in a grant agreement between the NTIA and the State of Vermont. The state of Vermont is currently waiting to receive this grant agreement. 

Planning with VCBB

The VCBB is meeting with provisional awardees, including Maple Broadband, to begin planning for permitting and financial compliance. This is happening while Vermont waits on the final items from the federal government. 

Final Design Work

We've been working on network design at our own risk while waiting for approvals, and this work will complete in the spring of 2026.

What Still Needs to Happen

Even after NIST approves Vermont, and Vermont signs its grant agreement with the NTIA, several steps remain before construction can begin:

Grant Agreement: We'll need to finalize our grant agreement with the State of Vermont.

Environmental Review and Permitting: Environmental reviews and permitting requirements must be completed, including compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).

Make Ready: Once we have achieved NEPA and SHPO sign-off, we can begin construction activities. The first part of aerial construction is preparing the utility poles for us to attach our fiber-optic cables, a process known as make-ready.

Procurement: With our Executive Director and Governing Board, we will need to finalize contracts with service providers and construction vendors.

After all these steps are complete can we begin construction in BEAD-funded areas.

Why the Wait Matters

We know the wait can be frustrating, especially if you're dealing with slow or unreliable internet service right now, so that’s why we feel it’s important for our future customers to have an understanding of why we can't start building BEAD-funded areas before we have all the approvals: federal grants come with strict rules. If we start construction before receiving proper authorization, we could put the entire grant at risk. That would mean losing the funding altogether, which would be devastating for households and businesses counting on this network.

The BEAD Journey So Far

November 15, 2021: Congress Passes the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)

Also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this legislation created the BEAD program and allocated $42.45 billion nationally for broadband infrastructure.

May 13, 2022: NTIA Publishes Program Requirements

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration published the Notice of Funding Opportunity, which laid out the rules and requirements for how states could apply for and use BEAD funds.

June 2023: NTIA Allocates $229 Million to Vermont

Following a multi-month “challenge” process in which stakeholders were asked to validate and, if necessary, dispute whether or not their household had broadband service according to information reported by internet service providers (ISPs) to the FCC Broadband Map, the NTIA allocated funds to all states and territories based on the number of locations that lacked broadband. 

During the address challenge process, Vermont worked to verify which locations actually needed service. The state successfully challenged over 10,000 addresses that the federal government thought were already served but weren't, making those locations eligible for BEAD funding. Vermont received an allocation of $229 million. 

July 2023: Vermont Submits Five-Year Action Plan

The Vermont Community Broadband Board submitted its Five-Year Action Plan, which outlined Vermont's broadband goals and priorities and served as a comprehensive needs assessment.

2023-2024: Initial Proposal and Address Challenge Process

Vermont submitted its Initial Proposal which had two parts. The first outlined how the state would identify which addresses already had broadband service, in order to ensure that only addresses that needed funding would be eligible under the program. 

The second part of the Initial Proposal described how the state would manage the program, what the requirements were for grantees, and how applications would be scored and judged. 

July 25, 2024: Vermont's Initial Proposal Approved

NTIA approved Vermont's Initial Proposal, allowing the state to move forward with the application process.

Early 2025: First Application Round

VCBB published its request for applications based on the NTIA-approved Initial Proposal, with applications due in April 2024.

April 16, 2025: First Application Submitted

Maple Broadband submitted its BEAD application on the April 16, 2025 deadline. 

June 6, 2025: Major Program Changes

NTIA issued a BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice that significantly changed the program requirements. This meant states needed to reopen the application process and conduct a new "Benefit of the Bargain" round to comply with the revised rules.

July 2025: Second Application Round

VCBB published a revised request for applications to comply with the new federal requirements.

July 25, 2025: Second Application Due

Maple Broadband submitted its revised BEAD application on the July 25, 2025 deadline. 

August 28, 2025: Provisional Awards Announced

On August 28, 2025, VCBB announced the provisional BEAD award winners, with Maple Broadband among the recipients.

September 4, 2025: Vermont Submits Final Proposal

VCBB submitted Vermont's Final Proposal to NTIA for review and approval. This document described how Vermont had met all of the NTIA’s program requirements, as revised, as well as the winners for each project area. The submission was updated on September 22, 2025, to reflect NTIA-mandated project changes.

February 9, January 2026: NTIA Approval

NTIA announced approval of Vermont’s Final Proposal on February 9, 2026.

What Makes Maple Broadband Different

The really exciting part is what we've accomplished while navigating this federal process. Thanks to BEAD and other funding sources, Maple Broadband expects to build out our planned network without taking on interest-bearing debt. This is significant for a community-owned provider serving an area with high levels of broadband competition. Compared to other CUDs around the state, we have one of the highest ratios of broadband competition; about 80% of addresses in our service area have access to high-speed internet from other providers.

Residents of our 20 member towns direct Maple Broadband as a community-owned provider, making decisions in the public interest rather than to maximize profit. This local governance structure allows us to create affordability programs tailored to what Addison County actually needs.

Thank you for your continued support as we work to expand access throughout our service area.

Bringing fiber internet to unserved and underserved areas across our member towns is complex work that requires careful coordination with federal and state partners. We've made steady progress through each stage of this process, and we're positioned to move quickly once final approvals come through.

Want updates on Maple Broadband’s BEAD progress? We'll share news as soon as we receive approval and can provide more specific timelines for construction.