Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program

The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program provides funding for broadband infrastructure. Following requirements from the June 6, 2025, Restructuring Policy Notice from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Minnesota submitted a Final Proposal with a BEAD grant request on September 4, 2025. When approved, funding will go to serve over 75,000 broadband serviceable locations (BSLs) that, as defined by NTIA, are unserved (locations without reliable broadband service of at least 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload) or underserved (locations that lack access to wire-line broadband service at speeds 100Mbps download and 20Mbps upload) with a combination of fiber, satellite, and licensed fixed wireless technologies.

Additional information on the federal BEAD program is available on the NTIA website.

BEAD Grantor Portal

Access the BEAD Grantor Portal

If you have any technical questions on the portal, please email mnhelpdesk@ready.net.

BEAD Awards (preliminary)

In 2025, OBD led the prequalification process and grant award selection for NTIA’s BEAD program. This work ensured that eligible providers and partners could participate in expanding high speed internet access across Minnesota. To learn more about how the program was structured and implemented, you can explore the Archived BEAD Materials dropdown below, providing a complete record of Minnesota’s BEAD activities prior to award announcement.

BEAD Eligible Locations (XSLX) (6/30/2025)
Approved BEAD Participants (PDF) (8/8/2025)
BEAD Preliminary Award Map (Last updated 11/21/2025, new update coming soon)
Preliminary BEAD Awards by County and Entity – Coming soon

Subgrantee Resources & Compliance

These items directly address pre-contracting NTIA requirements and audit and reporting readiness.

BEAD DRAFT Grant Contract Agreement V2 – Coming soon
LEO Grant Contract Agreement DRAFT – Coming soon
Post-Award Requirements for Subgrantees Checklist – Coming soon

Environmental Permitting Resources

Minnesota National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Permitting Resources

Planning for MN BEAD Grant Environmental, Historic Preservation, and Permitting Success (PDF) – Coming soon
MN BEAD EHP Grantee Questionnaire (PDF) – Coming soon
MN BEAD EHP Grantee Questionnaire Instructions (PDF) – Coming soon
Minnesota Broadband and Railroad Rights-of-Way (PDF)
Environmental Historic Preservation (EHP) Requirements (PDF) BEAD final proposal requirement documenting MN Environmental and Historic Preservation responsibilities.

NTIA NEPA and Permitting Resources

NTIA Permitting Needs Checklist (PDF): Details how to structure a permitting needs assessment and access considerations
NTIA's ArcGIS Pro Permitting and Environmental Information Tool (APPEIT): Tool for federal broadband grant recipients and subgrantees to identify permits and environmental factors in planning routes for deployments.
NTIA Best Management Practices and Mitigation Measures (PDF): Best management practices (BMPs) and mitigation measures to minimize impacts during construction, deployment, and operation of NTIA funded broadband projects.
NTIA NEPA for BEAD NEPA Milestone Schedule and Timeline (PDF): Guidance on requirements established in Section 13B of the BEAD Terms and Conditions.
NTIA Local Permitting Importance and Challenges and Strategies (PDF): Guidance explaining local permitting, providing strategies and examples addressing challenges and increasing processing efficiency. environmental factors in planning routes for deployments.

Other NEPA and Permitting Resources

EHP Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) Memo Minnesota (PDF)

BABA Compliance Checklist

Downloadable BABA Reporting Tracker (XSLX)

Federal Guidance & Compliance

Policy Notices

Identification of Non-BSLs for BEAD (DOCX)

BEAD Questions

BEAD Question Submission Form

Submit Questions on BEAD through the form above.
Additional guidance and technical assistance from NTIA on BEAD is available on the NTIA webpage.

BEAD Information Sessions

Wednesday, December 17, 2025, 11:00 a.m., Minnesota Broadband Update webinar: Join the OBD for an update on the federal BEAD program in Minnesota, including a recap of BEAD efforts in 2025 and next steps for what the OBD expects for broadband grant programs going into 2026. Register here.

BEAD Final + Initial Proposals
BEAD Final + Initial Proposals

Final Proposal

The Minnesota Office of Broadband Development (OBD) has drafted the following Final Proposal, as required under the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment Program (BEAD). Upon receipt and consideration of comments to this document, the Minnesota Office of Broadband Development submitted for consideration on September 4, 2024 to the National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA), the administrators of BEAD, including the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
- Draft of Minnesota’s Final Proposal* (PDF)
- Draft BEAD Program Monitoring Plan Summary (PDF)
- Attachment 1 - Final Proposal Subgrantees* (CSV)
- Attachment 2 - Final Proposal Deployment Projects* (CSV)
- Attachment 3 - Final Proposal Locations* (CSV)
- Attachment 4 - Final Proposal No BEAD Locations* (CSV)
- Attachment 14.1 EHP PEIS Memo Minnesota (PDF)
- Attachment 14.1 EHP Requirements (PDF)
- BEAD Final Proposal Public Comment Summary (PDF)
The Final Proposal and associated data tables are preliminary and subject to change as may be required by NTIA.

*Please note, file has been revised for a correction from its initial posting on August 28.

Volumes 1 & 2

The Office of Broadband Development submitted their Initial Proposal draft for the BEAD program to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on December 22, 2023. Minnesota's BEAD Initial Proposal, Volume 1 was approved on May 30, 2024.

Volume 1
Volume 2
BEAD Five-year Action Plan

As Minnesota's eligible entity, the Office of Broadband Development also submitted the state's BEAD Five-Year Action Plan to NTIA on July 12, 2023.
Minnesota BEAD Contractor Directory
Minnesota BEAD Contractor Directory

Minnesota BEAD Contractor Directory Form
- Complete and submit the form above to be listed on the Minnesota BEAD Contractor Directory.
- The Minnesota BEAD Contractor directory is a voluntary list consisting of the names and contact information of the contractors and subcontractors that have requested to be included in the directory. The directory is not an exhaustive list of all the contractors and subcontractors based or working in the state of Minnesota, and the Office of Broadband Development (OBD) does not endorse or vet any of the companies or individuals listed. OBD reserves the right to discontinue the directory at any time.
Download the Minnesota BEAD Contractor Directory (12/03/2025).
BEAD Timeline
BEAD Timeline

The process for receiving and awarding BEAD funding has multiple steps and spans multiple years:

November 15, 2021

IIJA signed into law

May 16, 2022

BEAD Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) issued

May 30, 2023

FCC issues new broadband data maps which are basis for BEAD funding

June 26, 2023

State/Eligible Entities funding allocations announced by NTIA

July 12, 2023

Minnesota submits BEAD Five Year Action Plan

December 22, 2023

Minnesota Submits Initial Proposal Vol. 1 and Vol. 2

May 29, 2024

NTIA approves Minnesota's Initial Proposal Vol. 1

Summer 2024

BEAD Challenge process
- 6/25/24 to 7/15/24, BEAD Challenge informational sessions held across the state and online
- 7/22/24 to 8/21/24, 30 days to submit challenges
- 8/22/24 to 9/20/24, 30 days to rebut
- 9/21/24 to 10/21/24, 30 days for OBD to adjudicate
- 12/18/24, Final list of BEAD eligible locations submitted to NTIA for its approval
Fall 2024

October 3, 2024, Volume 2 approved by NTIA

January 2025
- January 17, 2025 BEAD list of eligible locations was approved by NTIA
- January 27, 2025 the BEAD Grantor Portal opened for the Pre-Qualification process. Pre-Qualification is for interested applicants to submit specified documentation to support their financial, managerial, technical and operational capacity to participate in the BEAD program as a subgrantee and must be completed to participate in BEAD. The Pre-Qualification process was extended to remain open until March 13, 2025.
Spring 2025
- March 24 - April 21, 2025 Subgrantee selection subround, 11a
- June 6, 2025 NTIA released BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice
Summer 2025
- July 8, 2025 the NTIA approved Minnesota’s IP BEAD Correction Letter required as part of NTIA’s Restructuring BEAD Policy Notice.
- July 14 - July 24, 2025 1:30pm CST Prequalified applicants (all technologies) to submit applications for the Restructured BEAD Round, compliant with the updated changes to the NTIA's June 6 Restructuring BEAD Policy Notice.
- August 5 - August 8, 2025 Direct Negotiation (All providers & technologies) for locations (BSLs) that did not receive any bids in the Restructured BEAD Round.
- August 28, 2025 Final Proposal posted for a 7-day public comment period.
- August 28 – September 3 OBD held information sessions (2 virtual, one for general public and one for Tribal partners and 5 in-person regional sessions across the state) to provide an overview of the Final Proposal, steps for public comment, and next steps for BEAD in Minnesota.
- September 4, 2025 Minnesota’s draft of the Final Proposal submitted to NTIA. NTIA has committed to review and approve plans in 90 days.
BEAD Communications and Reports

BEAD Communications and Reports

Minnesota BEAD Initial Proposal (IP) Correction Request, 7/2/2025

Approved IP Correction Request letter from Minnesota by NTIA on July 8, 2025 as part of the Restructuring BEAD Policy Notice from June 6, 2025.

Understanding the BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice

From the NTIA, this slide deck reviews major program shifts and compares and contrasts the BEAD NOFO & Restructuring BEAD Policy Notice from 6/6/2025.

Priorities and Proposed Modifications to Minnesota’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Volume 2 and Administrative Streamlines

Letter, sent 3/27/2025 from Minnesota Office of Broadband to United States Department of Commerce.

2024 Broadband Infrastructure Cost Gap Analysis

The Office of Broadband (OBD) issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a consultant to perform a broadband cost gap analysis study for the state of Minnesota. The purpose of the analysis was two-fold: first, to determine the amount of funding needed to serve the state under BEAD; and second, to determine the cost if all locations in the state were to be served with a minimum 100Mbps download/20Mbps upload wireline connection, as is the goal under state law.

Getting CostQuest Licenses for Fabric IDs

If you plan to participate in the BEAD program, you will need a CostQuest license to review the list of BEAD eligible locations and to identify the locations included in your application project area.
Archived BEAD Materials
Archived BEAD Materials

Direct Negotiation Round Materials
- Call for Letters of Interest and Location Bids for Direct Negotiation
- Letter of Interest Form for Direct Negotiation
- Location Bid Form - Available BSLs for direct negotiation that did not receive any bids in the Restructured BEAD Round.
- Direct Negotiations Round BEAD FAQs (8/7/2025)
BEAD Applicant Resources
- BEAD Restructured Application Guide
- Section 3: BEAD Network Tech Form Fillable Upload Q 5
- Section 3: BEAD Geospatial Data Upload Guide Q 6
- Section 6: BEAD Minnesota Letter of Credit TEMPLATE Q 18
- Section 11: BEAD Budget Schedule Proforma Pricing Workbook (xlsx) Q 48
- Section 11: BEAD Affidavit Template Upload Q 49
- BEAD Waiver Request Form Guide
- BEAD Call for Applications & Addendum
- BEAD Pre-Qualification Guidance
- BEAD Grantor Portal Pre-Qualification User Guide
- BEAD Grant Contract Agreement DRAFT (some sections obsolete due to BEAD Restructuring)
- Register to access the BEAD Grantor Portal. Download and view the updated BEAD Portal User Guide and BEAD Pre-Qualification Guide.
- Approved BEAD Applicants (8/8/2025)
- Watch a walkthrough on how to select locations in the BEAD Grantor Portal.
- Restructured BEAD FAQs (7/22/2025)
BEAD Eligible Locations
- BEAD Eligibility Map
  - Resources available to assist with using the Minnesota interactive broadband map are available from Connected Nation, Map Product How-To Videos. A downloadable PDF is also available as a quick-start guide, BEAD Mapping Portal Guide.
BEAD Information Sessions

Materials from past sessions:
- August 28, 2025 BEAD Final Proposal Virtual Information Session Slides | Watch the Recording
- September 24, 2025 BEAD Update with Minnesota OBD Slides
Completed Challenge Process

BEAD Challenge in Minnesota, July - November 2024

Minnesota's NTIA BEAD Challenge provided an opportunity to finalize the funding eligibility and status of Minnesota's broadband serviceable locations and community anchor institutions.

The BEAD Challenge process was the only opportunity for local governments, nonprofits and providers to "challenge" the status of a location as eligible or ineligible for federal BEAD funding.

Eligible entities that could participate in the BEAD Challenge process were Local and Tribal Governments; Nonprofits; and Broadband Service Providers. NTIA requirements did not allow the public to submit challenges independently. However, the public could submit information about their location such as speed tests or documentation of lack of service.

Following the completion of the BEAD Challenge Process, only locations classified as unserved and underserved will be eligible for BEAD grant funding.

BEAD Challenge Resources
Completed Restructured BEAD Round

Restructured BEAD Resources
- BEAD Restructuring: UFLW and BEAD Location Eligibility [DOCX] (6/12/2025)
- BEAD Restructuring: UFLW and BEAD Location Eligibility [XLSX] (6/12/2025)
Restructured BEAD Office Hours

Materials from recent BEAD Office Hours sessions:
Rescinded BEAD Round

Rescinded BEAD Resources for Pre-Qualification and Application
- BEAD Community Support Guide
- BEAD Past & Future Workforce Safety Forms
- BEAD Past Workforce Safety Form
- BEAD Future Workforce Safety Form
- Identification of Non-BSLs for BEAD TEMPLATE
- BEAD Pre-Qualification FAQ PDF (final update posted 3/7/25)
- BEAD Subgrantee Selection FAQ PDF (updated 4/17/25)
- BEAD General FAQ PDF (updated 3/21/25)
Rescinded 2025 Webinars, Application Information Sessions, and Office Hours

Webinars

OBD provided an update of information on the BEAD program in Minnesota going into 2025. To watch the recording of the webinar and download the slides, visit the OBD webinar's webpage.

Application Information Sessions
- Session 1, Round 11a: March 25 PDF of slides | Recording
Office Hours

Materials from previous office hours:
For questions on webinars or office hours, please email deed.broadband@state.mn.us.

Rescinded Additional Resources