"The list, which MCA shared with Telecompetitor (see below), is almost the same as what the state sent to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for approval prior to the September 4 deadline. The main difference is that NTIA did not allow the state to award funding for certain locations. Maine said those locations should be eligible for broadband funding, but NTIA didn't agree."
"NTIA also has asked MCA to explain two award recommendations that were higher, on a per-location basis, than the others, Allenby told Telecompetitor. When Telecompetitor asked Allenby if this was triggered by the caps that NTIA reportedly established for each state, he confirmed that the two Maine broadband awards exceeded NTIA's threshold. That threshold, he said, was "not inconsistent with the data that has been released from other sources.""
Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) revised BEAD award recommendations total about $48.4 million and are nearly identical to the prior submission. NTIA disallowed funding for certain locations that Maine believes should be eligible, but the overall project costs remain essentially unchanged. NTIA also requested explanations for two awards with higher per-location costs, citing a threshold that those awards exceeded. Maine submitted justifications for the higher amounts rather than asking for best-and-final offers. MCA reported optimism about final approval and indicated no indications that the proposed awards will be unfunded.
Read at Telecompetitor
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