Project Background:   

The State of New Hampshire required an experienced broadband consultant to assist with the creation of the State’s BEAD Planning Documentation required by NTIA as part of the BEAD funding process. It was important to align the BEAD planning documents with the State’s Digital Equity Plan. Mission Broadband Inc., a broadband consulting firm, was selected to develop the required BEAD documents (Initial & Final Proposals and 5 Year Plan). 

Key Challenges: 

• Meeting Tight Deadlines: The NTIA Documents had an aggressive submission deadline, necessitating an immediate work plan in collaboration with the Broadband Expansion Authority (BEA) of New Hampshire. 
• Understanding NTIA Requirements: There were a significant number of requirements to be met with each document in order to ensure the funding process moved forward. This required an understanding of the broadband landscape in NH to include current and previous funding allocations, barriers to deployment, technology and mapping of broadband serviceable locations, and mechanisms for driving the extensive public and stakeholder engagement that was crucial to success.  
• Alignment of Documents: The NTIA process required alignment of the Initial and Final Proposals with the 5 Year Action Plan. Additional alignment was required with the State’s Digital Equity Plan. 
• Community and Stakeholder Engagement: Extensive outreach and engagement with communities and stakeholders was critical to draft informed documents. 

MBI’s Proposed Solution: 

• Collaborative Work Plan Development: MBI worked closely with BEA to establish a detailed work plan outlining project task, milestones, and a communication cadence. This ensured everyone was aligned on the project goals, communication methods and timeline. 
• Risk Management: MBI proactively identified potential risks and adjusted the project scope as needed to mitigate them. 
• Identify Service Gaps: MBI engaged with College on the analysis of available GIS data to map out each broadband serviceable location with the correct status. 
• Develop Challenge Process:  MBI collaborated with BEA to develop a challenge process to be used by Service Provides and Eligible Entities during the challenge phase of the BEAD document planning process.  
• Streamlined Document Management: A dedicated SharePoint directory was created for document storage, version control, and easy retrieval by all project team members. 
• Design Grant Programs: MBI is working with BEA to define the overall grant program to include the subgrantee selection process and the challenge & adjudication processes. 

MBI’s Team Expertise: 

• Experienced Staff: MBI has a team of dedicated full-time, part-time, and subcontractor personnel with expertise in telecommunications and broadband deployment projects. Back-office support ensures smooth project administration. 
• Familiarity with Grant Programs: The MBI team has experience working with state and federal grant programs and understood the state’s broadband expansion efforts. 
• National Network: MBI leveraged its national network of contacts in Washington D.C. to support the project’s success. 

Proven Approach: 

• Project Management: The overall process was complex and required a disciplined project management approach in order to conduct and integrate all  of the scope of work elements into the final reports. 
• Comprehensive Data Analysis: MBI analyzed all available data, including BEA’s existing knowledge, FCC mapping fabric data, past work, and any relevant data from previous state broadband and digital equity initiatives. 
• Federal and State Grant Expertise: MBI’s understanding of federal and state grant programs was applied in developing the planning documents and processes.  
• Holistic Integration: Data from economic development, telehealth, workforce development, and other related initiatives were incorporated to provide a comprehensive plan for broadband expansion. 

Ensuring Proposal Continuity for a Favorable Outcome 

MBI recognized the need for seamless continuity across the Five-Year Action Plan, Initial Proposal, and Final Proposal. A holistic approach was used throughout the project, leveraging all collected data and research to deliver a cohesive and well-supported application document that met BEA’s requirements and secured NTIA funding for New Hampshire’s broadband expansion goals.