Zayo’s BEAD in the Box program, makes the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program withing easier reach of the ISP community, Practical steps in Bridging the Digital Divide

Its one thing to allocate money to help revitalize rural America. It’s a whole other challenge to turn those investments into connectivity. In this podcast, Bill Long, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Zayo discusses how Zayo is helping make the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program work at the grassroots level with the BEAD in the Box program.

According to Long, the Internet is the highway of today’s economy. That highway passes right through rural America, but too often lacks an exit ramp. Too many communities have been left behind, while a digital divide has emerged. The divide impacts lives, limiting economic opportunity, income growth and more, in many places. New legislation designed to deliver connectivity, has a speedbump. It might seem too daunting for an ISP to apply. In this podcast Long discusses how Zayo’s Bead in the Box, changes the math on that problem.

“Those local ISPs are great candidates for this $43 billion BEAD funding,” says Long. “Zayo has what we're calling Bead in the Box, where if you reach out to our team, we can help. We can partner with you to go and apply together for those funds.” The funds can help ISPs build to homes and businesses in rural areas, while Zayo’s program helps ISPs have an easier time journeying through the application process.

On June 16, 2023, Zayo was awarded $92.9 million as part of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Middle Mile Grant Program. NTIA received more than 260 applications, collectively requesting $7.47 billion from the $1 billion available and Zayo is the only national provider to receive this funding. The funding will be used to build critical middle-mile connections, providing broadband connectivity for those in need. Without extensive middle-mile network enhancements, it becomes difficult and costly to establish reliable networks in underserved and unserved communities.

Learn more about BEAD in the Box

Visit https://www.zayo.com/