Indiana BEAD Challenge Portal
Introduction
Welcome to the Indiana Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment (BEAD) Portal. This platform serves to facilitate the activities of the Indiana BEAD Program including:
- Pre-Qualification Requirements
- BEAD Grant Applications
- Subgrantee Selection
- Grants Management
- Progress Reporting Requirements
- Post-Award Reimbursement
Internet service providers (ISPs) looking to apply for BEAD funds will need to complete the registration process to gain access to the grants management portal. Please note this site was previously configured to register users for Indiana’s Challenge Process, but all users and prospective applicants will need to register again to participate in pre-qualification. Returning users can utilize the same email address as used during the Challenge Process, if needed.
Please only register your organization one time, this will help ensure the process runs smoothly and efficiently. Once your organization has completed registration, the Indiana Broadband Office (IBO) will review and verify the information. If approved, you will receive an email providing access to the Indiana BEAD Portal. Additional users of the same organization can be granted access to the account within the portal, upon approval from the IBO.
Program Overview
The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program is a federal grant initiative overseen by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), that aims to expand high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved areas nationwide. Of the $42 billion federal dollars allocated to the program, Indiana was awarded $868 million in BEAD funds to deploy broadband expansion efforts. The Indiana Broadband Office is responsible for facilitating all BEAD Program grant requirements and determining sub-grant award selection on behalf of the state.
Deployment of Subgrantee Selection
The subgrantee selection phase of the Indiana BEAD Program is the process of evaluating and selecting Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to receive funding for broadband infrastructure projects. This phase includes reviewing applications from ISPs, assessing their eligibility, technical capabilities, and project plans. Selection is based on the scoring criteria laid out in the BEAD NOFO and Volume 2 of Indiana's Initial Proposal. The Indiana Broadband Office is dedicated to running an efficient, fair, open, and competitive subgrantee selection process that will ultimately result in projects ensuring all Indiana residents have access to broadband service.
Pre-Qualification
Pre-qualification is the first step in the subgrantee selection process. Before undertaking a subgrantee selection process and awarding BEAD funds, the Indiana Broadband Office must pre-qualify all prospective applicants to ensure they meet the minimum requirements for subgrantee eligibility. Only ISPs are eligible prospective applicants at this time. Additional guidance on pre-qualification can be found in the “Resources” tab on this site.
Please note that, as described in Indiana's Initial Proposal Volume 2, participating in the pre-qualification process does not bind any internet service provider to submit a project area proposal. However, all applicants who are considering participation or intend to submit a proposal must participate in pre-qualification. There will only be one pre-qualification round, so prospective applicants must participate, even if they only intend to apply for BEAD funds in later rounds of subgrantee selection
Subgrantee Selection Phase
After all potential applicants have been qualified, the Indiana Broadband Office will begin its three rounds of subgrantee selection. All applications will be scored against identical, neutral criteria that do not favor one type of provider over another. The scoring rubric for all applications is again described in Indiana's Approved Volume 2. Each round will include the posting of the eligible BSLs, an application process through Ready.net, applications that are released publicly, and identical, neutral criteria that are applied by a fair group of scorers.
To promote transparency, the Indiana Broadband Office will provide updates on the status of application reviews on its website, social media, and through its newsletter. When all applications have been evaluated, and project areas and subgrantees have been selected, the IBO will notify all applicants of the chosen awards. These awards will be subject to NTIA's approval in Indiana's Final Proposal. All awards, and their subgrantees and project areas, will be posted on the Indiana Broadband Office website within ten business days of the subgrantee being notified.
Post-Subgrantee Selection
Once the IBO has completed the subgrantee selection process, BEAD award recipients will be provided additional information and guidance on next steps.
