New Release of Broadband Infrastructure Playbook to Help States Leverage $42B Investment

July 12 Webinar, hosted by Fiber Broadband Association and NTCA, incorporates latest NTIA BEAD Notice of Funding Opportunity Guidance

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) and NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association today announced they will discuss updates to the Broadband Infrastructure Playbook in a webinar on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, at 11:00 AM EDT. The first iteration of the Playbook was released in March, and Tuesday’s discussion will highlight updates to the Playbook that incorporate the NTIA Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) information released in May.

Join top policy experts as they discuss the key updates to the Broadband Infrastructure Playbook during the July 12 webinar including—

• Gary Bolton, President and CEO, Fiber Broadband Association
• Michael Romano, Senior Vice President of Industry Affairs & Business Development, NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association
• Michael Dargue, Vice President, Cartesian
• Tom Cohen, FBA Counsel and Partner, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
• Joanne Hovis, FBA Board Member and President, CTC Technology & Energy
• Ariane Schaffer, Government Affairs & Public Policy, Google Fiber, and Co-Chair, FBA Public Policy Committee
• Jordan Gross, Manager, Federal Government Affairs, Corning

A copy of the updated Broadband Infrastructure Playbook can be downloaded at https://www.fiberbroadband.org/page/playbook.

“With the latest update to the Broadband Infrastructure Playbook, we’re providing states with the latest information as they embark on closing the digital divide and building high-speed, future-proof fiber infrastructure that will last for generations,” said Gary Bolton, President and CEO at the Fiber Broadband Association. “With deadlines approaching and the work set to begin as states look to develop a five-year plan, the FBA stands ready to assist to ensure each state and every home can leverage this once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring everyone and every community forward.”

“State offices are central players in overcoming our nation’s remaining broadband challenges, and even the most prepared of them have significant work ahead. Whether they retrofit existing grant programs to comply with NTIA requirements or create completely new broadband programs, our playbook is designed to help guide these efforts,” said Shirley Bloomfield, Chief Executive Officer at NTCA. “This playbook will be instrumental in helping each state realize the promise of the BEAD program and build a better broadband future for everyone.”

Register here for the July 12, 2022, webinar on the latest updates to the Broadband Infrastructure Playbook.

About NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association
NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovative change in smart rural communities across America. In an era of transformative technological developments, regulatory challenges and marketplace competition, NTCA members are advancing efforts to close the digital divide by delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks. Their commitment to building sustainable networks makes rural communities fertile ground for innovation in economic development, e-commerce, health care, agriculture and education, and it contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy each year. Visit us at www.ntca.org.

About the Fiber Broadband Association
The Fiber Broadband Association is the largest and only trade association that represents the complete fiber ecosystem of service providers, manufacturers, industry experts, and deployment specialists dedicated to the advancement of fiber broadband deployment and the pursuit of a world where communications are limitless, advancing quality of life and digital equity anywhere and everywhere. The Fiber Broadband Association helps providers, communities, and policy makers make informed decisions about how, where, and why to build better fiber broadband networks. Since 2001, these companies, organizations, and members have worked with communities and consumers in mind to build the critical infrastructure that provides the economic and societal benefits that only fiber can deliver. The Fiber Broadband Association is part of the Fibre Council Global Alliance, which is a platform of six global FTTH Councils in North America, LATAM, Europe, MEA, APAC, and South Africa. Learn more at fiberbroadband.org.