PROVIDENCE – R.I. Commerce Corp. is now accepting proposals for projects under the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program aimed at providing low-cost high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved communities.
The state was awarded $108.7 million from the $42.45 billion program, which was approved in 2021 as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, but has yet to connect a single household.
R.I. Commerce will host an informational pre-bid webinar April 7 and proposals will be accepted until May 9, according to the agency, with the vendor to be chosen by June 23.
According to the Request for Proposals issued April 1, the contract period is expected to last four years, with the goal "to ensure all Rhode Islanders have access to affordable, high-speed internet" by Dec. 31, 2027.
Open to private companies, local governments, nonprofits, utilities, cooperatives and public-private partnerships “with the technical and financial capacity to complete broadband deployment projects," proposals must deliver minimum internet service speeds of 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload with latency under 100 milliseconds to eligible locations spanning more than 30 Rhode Island cities and towns.
R.I. Commerce Secretary Elizabeth M. Tanner said the agency was “eager to start" these investments to “ensure that every home and business —regardless of where they’re located—has access to reliable, high-speed internet.”
Any funds remaining after eligible Rhode Island locations have access to the minimum service levels can be deployed to “Community Anchor Institutions" such as libraries or nonprofits as well as for other "eligible nondeployment purposes."
In January a R.I. Superior Court judge dismissed a suit by Cox Communications claiming that R.I. Commerce used flawed data to “build a taxpayer-subsidized" plan that included affluent areas of Rhode Island and locations where Cox customers already had high-speed internet access.
The federal approval allowed R.I. Commerce to begin the competitive process to secure a contractor.
Cox included data in its complaint that showed 99.3% of Rhode Island has access to high-speed internet.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration later approved the state’s
broadband infrastructure map, which ended the “challenge process” that gave internet service providers like Cox and other government and nonprofit entities the opportunity to challenge aspects of the BEAD plans.
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.
