<div>Georgia on My BEAD Mind I first met Jessica Simmons, Deputy CIO &amp; Executive Director of the Georgia Broadband Program when I was recruiting state broadband leaders to speak at Mountain Connect earlier this year. She was very pleasant, full of energy, and—most importantly—seemed to find me funny (or at least I hope she did).She lives in a suburb of Atlanta, Sandy Springs, with her husband and two younger children (ages 4 and 6) and her dog, whose presence in all her calls have quickly made him a pooch authority on broadband connectivity. How did Simmons end up here, in the broadband office?  She recounts that “I was drawn to this position to expand connectivity and promote all the great things it entails for our state, whether it's healthcare outcomes, education, remote work, and everything it does from an economic development standpoint.” About the Office... and the OPB Georgia’s broadband office was established in 2018 with Simmons tapped to lead it in mid-2021. She explains that “when the state was going to be receiving ARPA funding, Governor Kemp asked me to step into this role and I'm so glad that I did. Broadband has always been a top issue of the governor.” Simmons explains that the Georgia broadband office is set up differently than other states. Her team of four (The Georgia Technology Authority, GTA) works closely with the actual recipient in the state being the governor's office of planning and budget (OPB).The GTA scores applications for both CPF as well as BEAD’s upcoming rounds and makes recommendations to the OPB and the governor. She explains that this is mostly semantics and structure as, while OPB is still the recipient of everything, “we have an interagency agreement between our two agencies that even though they're the recipient, we're essentially executing all of the BEAD deliverables on behalf of the state.” Simmons takes great pride in the fact that her office can make ‘data driven decisions’ thanks in large part to the great state broadband map developed by U of Georgia. She says that the great data allows her office to move quickly with the previous grants.While this seems like a lot of work for only four people, the support and expertise that the state has at its disposal between GTA, OPB, the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, and third-party contractors, puts the state in a great place to accomplish the work ahead.  A Successful BEAD Precursor In 2023, Georgia Governor Kemp combined just over $246 million in CPF with SLFRF funds (awarded in 2022) to bring the state’s investment to more than $660 million in broadband spend ($1.2 billion once matching funds are included). Simmons says that in 2022, the grants focused on the areas in most need, the areas with the highest number as well as percentage of locations. “Even after limiting the number of counties that were eligible, we received a good competitive bid for every single one of the counties that we made eligible.” Simmons says that the ARPA investments (CPF and SLFRF combined) will serve roughly 200,000 BSLs with a handful of projects already completed.I’m on my way, I’m making it… BEAD-Time -Peter Gabriel Georgia has approximately 165,000 unserved and underserved locations eligible for BEAD, of which Simmons says there are more underserved (~90K) than unserved. Simmons anticipates that with the program’s 25% match requirement, $1.3 billion in BEAD funding will most likely be sufficient to reach Georgia’s unserved and underserved. “Data from our previous grants would lead us to believe that we have sufficient funding. However, these project areas include some of the most expensive locations left to serve.”Georgia’s Initial Proposal Volume II was approved in mid-September, which started the 365-day clock to finalize subgrantee selection and submit a Final Proposal to NTIA. “Our goal was to try to get through our challenge process before Volume II was approved,” says Simmons. “Our challenge process data has also just been approved, so we are ready to roll out our subgrantee selection process before the end of the year.” While there is no prequalification process, the Georgia team is releasing application questions in advance of the grant application process so applicants can be well prepared to apply. One concern that has creeped into her otherwise optimistic mind is that some BEAD requirements could potentially deter providers from applying. “There are a lot of additional requirements in BEAD that providers haven’t seen in prior grants, like the letter of credit, BABA (build American, buy American), etc.” In round one of the BEAD applications, Georgia will only be accepting fiber build applications with round two entertaining alternative technologies (hybrid fiber coax, licensed fixed wireless, etc.) and potentially a third round if needed. Reflecting on the possibility of a third and final round, she says any locations remaining that either flag at too high a cost or can't be reached with one of the NTIA’s reliable technologies may need to be reached with alternative technologies.  She’s also anticipating potential gaps in application coverage and needing to ‘lean in’ to getting creative. “We want to be able to approach providers during the negotiation phase that the state outlines in Volume II. For instance, we can approach a provider that applied for a county and say ‘nobody applied for this neighboring county. Can you provide a proposal to go there?’ We really tried to put as much flexibility as we could into the negotiation phase for this reason,” explains Simmons. Simmons says that providers will be afforded the flexibility to remove locations from project areas, but a failure to cover an entire area will ‘substantially impact’ scoring and could result in a carrier losing a bid. Further, Simmons says that “if anything looks like it's egregious cherry picking, we reserve the right to disqualify an application.”Simmons is encouraged that the state received ‘incredible participation’ with the ARPA funded grant programs, so she anticipates good industry representation of subgrantees including “electric co-ops as well as large, small and midsize companies.” A Little More about the Peach State I asked Jessica to give me a ‘lay of the land’ in terms of what her office’s challenges would be. “We've got a little bit of everything, from mountains to coastline, swamps to farmland.”One thing that helps, Simmons says, is a 2019 state law that allows electric co-ops in Georgia to provide broadband, resulting in more than twenty doing so today. “They're generally building to every one of their electric members, which is a great way to deliver connectivity, especially to locations that historically have not had service.”She also reports that many of Georgia’s rural areas are incredibly well served because “ILECs made a decision a long time ago to provide fiber service.”  Talk About the Passion (Blatant R.E.M. reference) Simmons finds that seeing projects get underway or draw towards conclusion to be the most gratifying part of her job. “The groundbreakings and the ribbon cuttings are so rewarding! It's fun to go out in the community and have conversations and see the impact that this will make to a home or a business when they gain access to high-speed internet.” <img src="https://assets-v2.circle.so/yn32q0shtlxkd78e9kqfbt8un60w" style="width: 100%;">On a more personal note, Simmons has been working for Governor Kemp since 2009, when she served as a deputy political director for his Secretary of State campaign. Since, she’s worked with Kemp in the Secretary of State’s Office, spent time at the Department of Revenue, and now as broadband office director. She muses that “I've jumped subject matter to subject matter, whether it was elections or taxes and now broadband. In all my various roles I’ve always tried to do the right thing by Georgia and its constituents.” Simmons conveys how her broadband office is aligned with Governor Kemp’s priorities to make things better for every Georgian, regardless of zip code. “If you really think about the infrastructure that we're funding and putting in place, everyone can have the same access to the same things, regardless of where you are in the state. That to me, is what this is all about, connecting every person in every zip code.” </div>

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Meet Jessica Simmons, GA

<div>Four more states earned approval from the NTIA on their BEAD Initial Proposals Vols. 1-2 this week: <a href="https://www.internetforall.gov/news-media/biden-harris-administration-approves-georgia-iowa-minnesota-and-south-carolinas-internet" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, and South Carolina!</a> I’m attaching them at the bottom of this post.This will allow these states to join the 44 states and territories (aka “eligible entities”) that already received approval earlier this year and last,<a href="https://www.internetforall.gov/bead-initial-proposal-progress-dashboard" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> bringing the total to 48 out of 56</a>. That means just eight territories and states remain! Congrats to all. Here’s the funding breakdown:- Georgia: $1.3 billion+- Iowa: $415 million+- Minnesota: $651 million+- South Carolina: $551 million+This green light means these states can move from planning to action, building or upgrading networks to get reliable, affordable high-speed internet to areas that need it most. Beyond just laying down fiber, these funds can also support digital literacy programs and workforce training once the infrastructure is in place, making it a comprehensive approach to closing the digital divide.U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo highlighted how essential high-speed internet is for everything from jobs to healthcare and education, and praised the approved states for taking big steps toward universal connectivity.Each state now has a year to submit a Final Proposal outlining how they’ll use the funds and select subgrantees to get the work done. Once approved, the real work of connecting everyone can begin.What do you think? Is this a big step forward for the BEAD program? Let’s hear your thoughts!<a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/9afc7778" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Ronald Ogan</a> , <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/d5bccadf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Josh Hildebrandt</a> , <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/1c0b6238" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Beatriz Palacios</a> , <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/1be2cafd" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Lonnie Pedersen</a> , <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/80c70ca4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Trent Rybicki</a>, <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/0114fcee" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Terry Brase</a> , <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/ccd73cb0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Jon Ehmke</a> , <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/d6e90266" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Jason Smith</a> , <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/e33bc7dc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@James Warner</a> , <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/bbe10955" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Larry J. Morrow</a> , <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/8d0bd70c" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Chris Wohlsclagel</a> , <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/48f12e53" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@LD Martin</a> , <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/1bbfe215" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@KEITH WALKER</a>, <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/af6921ec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Joanie Twersky</a> , <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/95ed0c02" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Jim Petro</a> , <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/0d829d05" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Chris Summerall</a> , <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/e7da64e0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Tim Lebens</a> , <a class="mention" href="https://www.broadband.io/u/9061a4fa" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Benjamin Meyer</a> <a class="file" href="https://assets-v2.circle.so/pcmaxflx3rvp1t5ywvrx0m7g6ho3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bead_initial_proposal_final.pdf</a><a class="file" href="https://assets-v2.circle.so/3y6enrtlt67gb449p3p0ufgznvn2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bead-volume1-approved_tcm1045-630175.pdf</a><a class="file" href="https://assets-v2.circle.so/k99rvq1ikjp6h8dpq0g1ydbybovl" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bead-volume2_tcm1045-599320.pdf</a><a class="file" href="https://assets-v2.circle.so/64zpp5muots0q6rihyhx9ge9lr1p" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Georgia Initial Proposal V1.pdf</a><a class="file" href="https://assets-v2.circle.so/0nla1c9cdqz8e7qkk59x33h19po7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Georgia IP V2 Approved.pdf</a><a class="file" href="https://assets-v2.circle.so/na3ltnh25lal8spahyrgx2jj45jz" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Initial Proposal Volume 1 NTIA remediated.pdf</a><a class="file" href="https://assets-v2.circle.so/215370r38884b62e0pub1uv6bdge" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Intake Summary-Volume 2-08-20-2024 11-30-EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE STATE OF SOUTH C-GRN-000156.pdf</a><a class="file" href="https://assets-v2.circle.so/8l1irbi41inu25u3u1fgiv7y1nmf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">intake-summary-volume-1-03-15-2024-01-20-executive-office-of-the-state-of-sc-grn-000156.pdf</a></div>

Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, and South Carolina win NTIA approval on BEAD Initial Proposals Vols 1-2

Jessica Simmons

Deputy CIO for Broadband and Special Projects 

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Jessica SimmonsDeputy CIO for Broadband and Special ProjectsGeorgia Technology Authority<a href="mailto:Jessica.simmons@gta.ga.gov">Jessica.simmons@gta.ga.gov</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, and South Carolina win NTIA approval on BEAD Initial Proposals Vols 1-2

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