VETRO, a company known for its fiber management software, now wants to help state broadband offices and local governments better prepare for the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.
The company just added a new feature, dubbed the Challenge Portal, to its Broadband Intelligence Platform (BIP). Essentially, the Challenge Portal is designed to streamline BEAD program management and simplify reporting requirements.
VETRO created the BIP as a supplement to its core product VETRO FiberMap, said Brian Mefford, the company’s VP of Broadband Strategy. The latter is a “system of record” for ISPs and engineering firms to “manage all their data in one place and basically plan, design, build and operate their networks.”
While VETRO FiberMap is primarily for service providers, the BIP aims to provide a similar user experience for state governments and other municipalities.
The platform allows them to “visualize the unserved and underserved locations,” analyze BEAD costs and “scenario build around what those projects might look like,” Mefford explained.
The BIP is also a way for broadband offices to engage with ISPs, subgrantees and stakeholders “in one place.”
As for the Challenge Portal itself, it provides a user-friendly platform for eligible entities – such as ISPs, nonprofits and Tribal governments – to submit challenges and rebuttals, as well as supporting documents for those challenges.
All the data the Challenge Portal collects can be exported into formats that comply with the NTIA’s reporting requirements. The Challenge Portal also comes with data visualization tools to streamline challenge reviews.
“You’re going to have providers and tribal and local governments that are going to be tasked with inputting the challenges,” said VETRO Director of State Broadband Charlie Holm. “For people who don’t live in this space, that could be an intimidating experience.”
For example, someone using the Challenge Portal can input the address they want to challenge and then they will see that address visually represented on a map. The software also allows a user to click on multiple locations and create a group challenge.
The map not only details where coverage is located but also areas with other federal sources of funding, and users can overlay that information with “demographic and socio-economic type data as well.” California has created a similar map outlining areas eligible for federal funds.
Removing BEAD hurdles
“I think we make an intimidating process pretty easy to use,” Holm told Fierce. “We’re eliminating a lot of hurdles that I think states will be facing trying to get engagement from all the eligible challenging entities.”
Mefford noted “several” state broadband offices are already using VETRO’s software, but by the end of the year he anticipates “the majority” of states will be on the BIP.
“Or an alternative, but right now there’s just few alternatives because the guidance from NTIA came out [just two months ago],” he said, noting states have a short amount of time to “get this money invested in the right places.”
“Once this challenge process is over with, say Q4, Q1, they’re going to need to turn around and start the subgrantee selection process…I think that timeframe is going to be very challenging,” Holm said.
He added VETRO’s platform stands out in that “we can turn on the challenge process portal for a state and then we already have the subgrantee selection process that is out and ready to go.”
“We are there to support [states] for these really critical portions of the BEAD process in these next 15 months.”