California Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Subgrantee Selection Process

Background

The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program provides $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and five territories. California has been allocated approximately $1.86 billion under BEAD, based on its share of unserved locations nationwide. Governor Newsom designated the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to serve as the recipient and administrator of BEAD funds for the state.

 

BEAD Rules and Guidelines

Entities interested in applying for BEAD funding should review the following BEAD Rules and Guidelines before applying for funding:

BEAD Subgrantee Selection Process

Timeline

  • Prequalification Application: March 25 – May 1, 2025, 11:59 p.m. PST
  • Project Application: April 2 – May 9, 2025, 11:59 p.m. PST
  • Subgrantee Selection and Preparation of Final Proposal and Resolution: May 3 – August 19, 2025
  • Public Comment on Final Proposal and Resolution: August 20 – September 15, 2025
  • Resolution Considered by Commission: September 18, 2025
  • Submittal of Final Proposal: September 19 – October 2, 2025

This provisional schedule is designed to meet NTIA-mandated deadlines for California and is subject to revision. Please plan accordingly and check back for updates to this schedule.

Note: Congress and the Administration are considering changes to the BEAD Program that may impact elements of this timeline. The CPUC will proactively communicate any impact to the timeline as information becomes available.

Prequalification, Project Application and Review Process

Prequalification Application Process

The CPUC is pleased to announce that the BEAD Prequalification Application is now open and available in the BEAD Application Portal. Prequalification materials will be accepted through May 1, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PST. Each organization is required to submit a complete Prequalification Application before starting their Project Applications.  

During the Prequalification phase, prospective applicants will provide organizational, financial, managerial, and technical information to demonstrate they are qualified to be a BEAD subgrantee. The CPUC will review the submitted prequalification information and applicants will be notified within the Portal if they have been prequalified to apply for BEAD funding.

Register for an account and start the prequalification process through the BEAD Application Portal. Please refer to the Prequalification Application Guide  for detailed instructions and information about the prequalification process.

Other Prequalification Application materials including the checklist and templates are available for download in the Resources section at the bottom of this page.

Important: Each organization is required to submit a complete Prequalification Application before starting a Project Application. Prequalification will be accepted through May 1, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PST.

Project Application Process

The CPUC is pleased to announce the release of the BEAD Project Application Guide v2 and the BEAD Application Templates. These materials are available for download in the Resources section at the bottom of this page. The application materials are designed to assist applicants in preparing for the application process. All submissions must be made through the BEAD Application Portal.

To start your BEAD application, please log in to the BEAD Application Portal. 

During the Project Application phase, prospective applicants who are prequalified will formally submit their application for BEAD funding. The BEAD application will require applicants to:

  • Establish their qualifications to participate in the BEAD program and to successfully complete and operate a BEAD project, AND

  • Present a compliant, fundable grant application to deploy and operate a communications network that meets the requirements of the CPUC’s program.

Applicants will provide project-specific information that includes the proposed network, budget, deployment schedule, and other matters related to construction and operation of the proposed network. Please refer to the Project Application Guide for detailed instructions and information about each component of the application.

Review Process

The CPUC will accept, review, and score BEAD Project Applications and will conduct a series of related necessary activities, prior to and following acceptance of the grant applications.

Given BEAD’s rigorous requirements, the review process will require the CPUC to evaluate proposals from organizations that meet NTIA’s and California’s requirements and to determine which proposals are most likely to achieve the objectives of the BEAD program.

The review of BEAD applications will include the following steps:  

  1. Preliminary Review: applications are assessed for completeness.
  2. Revision: applications with incomplete information are sent back to applicants for revisions.
  3. Scoring: eligible applications are scored based on established criteria (see Scoring Rubric in IPv2 pg. 45).
  4. Ranking: applications are ranked according to scores.
  5. Deconfliction: potential conflicts (i.e. overlapping applications) are identified and resolved.
  6. Negotiation: terms are finalized with selected subgrantees.

Award and Approval: awards are issued following NTIA and CPUC approvals.

Application Revision

After the preliminary review of applications, CPUC staff may allow a limited opportunity to revise applications by providing additional time for applicants to respond to follow-up clarification or additional information requests from the CPUC staff. If an application requires revision, staff will contact the applicant via email with specific details of how and what to revise in the application.

Prequalification Application revision requests will be sent out through the BEAD Application Portal. Applications may undergo up to one (1) round of revisions, and applicants will have three (3) business days to provide responses or additional information to complete the application within the Portal. Emailed responses will not be accepted. Applicants who do not respond to revision requests or who provide incomplete responses will not be eligible to have their Project Applications considered. 

BEAD Application Portal

New users must complete the registration process on this page. Your registration will be reviewed by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Once approved, you will receive an email providing access to the Portal and will be able to add members to your organization. Registration will remain open through the conclusion of the Grant Application Window. 

Existing users (organizations that registered to participate in the BEAD Challenge Process) do not need to register again. Login using your existing account and password.

For technical issues related to registration, login, or account administration, please contact the Ready.net support team by email at cahelpdesk@ready.net. 

Register for Portal access here.

Login with an existing account here

Supplemental Information

Technical Assistance and Outreach

The CPUC is committed to ensuring potential BEAD applicants are prepared to participate in the BEAD application process. To support this goal, the CPUC is providing a variety of webinars, technical assistance videos, and office hours to provide information related to specific Subgrantee Selection topics. All potential applicants are encouraged to review the recorded webinars and the technical assistance recordings and materials, and to attend office hours. A full list of past BEAD events can be found on the CPUC BEAD Events page.

  • Webinars were held on Tuesdays, from 1-2 p.m. (PST) starting on December 3rd. Moving forward, the CPUC will be posting pre-recorded technical assistance videos on relevant program topics. Each section will focus on critical aspects of the BEAD program.

Office Hours will be held every Thursday, from 1-2 p.m. (PST), from January 9th to May 8th. These sessions are an open forum for stakeholders to ask specific questions, seek clarification, and gain personalized guidance on the BEAD application process. Registration is required and is available here

BEAD Program Technical Assistance Series

  • Prequalification Application Guide
    • This video will provide an overview of the PDF Prequalification Application guide. The CPUC will provide detailed guidance on Prequalification.
    • Presentation & Meeting Recording
  • Updated BEAD Program Design
  • Project Application Guide
    • This video will provide an overview of the PDF project application guide. The CPUC will provide detailed guidance on the BEAD funding application process, and an in-depth exploration of the application components.
    • Presentation & Meeting Recording
  • Supplemental Application Forms
    • This video will provide an overview of the templates that applicants will need to fill out in the application.
    • Presentation & Meeting Recording
  • Grant Management System: Platform Basics
    • This video will walk the applicant through the basic functionalities of CPUC’s BEAD GMS Portal.
    • Meeting Recording
  • Grant Management System: Prequalification and Revisions
    • This video will provide a brief walkthrough of the Prequalification application.
    • Meeting Recording
  • Grant Management System: Mapping Features
    • This video will provide a walkthrough of the map features in the Application Portal.
    • Meeting Recording

Available Soon - BEAD Subgrantee Selection Process Technical Assistance Videos

  • BEAD Environmental Compliance
    • This video will focus on the environmental compliance requirements, with specific emphasis on NEPA and CEQA guidelines.

Past BEAD Subgrantee Selection Process Webinars:

  1. December 3, 2024: BEAD and Prequalification overview
    • This webinar provides potential applicants with a foundational understanding of BEAD’s structure, timeline and application criteria.
    • Presentation & Meeting Recording
  2. December 10, 2024: BEAD Program Design
    • This webinar provides key aspects of the BEAD program, including grant areas design, technology preferences, negotiation processes, and the role of the Extremely High Cost per Location Threshold.
    • Presentation & Meeting Recording
  3. December 17, 2024: BEAD Program Evaluation
    • This webinar provides insights into BEAD program scoring requirements, including rubrics for priority end-to-end fiber applications and other broadband types.
    • Presentation & Meeting Recording
  4. January 9, 2025: BEAD Financial Requirements
    • Potential applicants will gain an understanding of the purpose and specific details of the application requirements for demonstrating financial capability and project projections.
    • Presentation & Meeting Recording
  5. January 14, 2025: BEAD Technical Requirements
    • This webinar provides an overview of the technical requirements for BEAD grant proposals and how to effectively develop this section the BEAD application.
    • Presentation & Meeting Recording
  6. January 21, 2025: BEAD Matching Funds
    • The BEAD program requires a mandatory 25% match. This webinar covers match requirements, in-kind contributions, waivers, and related criteria.
    • Presentation & Meeting Recording
  7. January 28, 2025: Other BEAD Requirements
    • This webinar provides a detailed discussion of the unique requirements for the BEAD grant application, including the Build America/Buy America Act, the Historic Preservation Act, and the Low-Cost Service Offering.
    • Presentation & Meeting Recording

Past BEAD Subgrantee Selection Process Office Hours:

  1. January 16, 2025 – Meeting Recording
  2. January 23, 2025 – Meeting Recording
  3. January 30, 2025 – Meeting Recording
  4. February 13, 2025 – Meeting Recording
  5. February 20, 2025 – Meeting Recording
  6. February 27, 2025 – Meeting Recording
  7. March 20, 2025 - Meeting Recording
  8. March 27, 2025 – Meeting Recording
  9. April 3, 2025 – Meeting Recording
  10. April 10, 2025 – Meeting Recording 
  11. April 17, 2025 –Meeting Recording 

Frequently Asked Questions

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is committed to ensuring a fair, open, and competitive Subgrantee Selection Process for the BEAD program.

To promote transparency and provide equal access to information, the CPUC has developed this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to address inquiries from potential applicants and stakeholders.

The BEAD Subgrantee Selection Process Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) consolidates questions received through BEAD outreach channels and provides the CPUC’s official responses to ensure all interested parties have access to the same information. The CPUC will continue updating this FAQ throughout the Subgrantee Selection Process to address additional questions as they arise, ensuring ongoing clarity and transparency through the BEAD program rollout.

BEAD Subgrantee Selection Process FAQ, Version 7.0, April 17 2025.

The FAQ will be updated frequently as new questions arrive.

Resources

Reference Materials

Prequalification Application

BEAD Project Application

Contact Us

  • Email questions about the BEAD Subgrantee Selection to BEADgrant@cpuc.ca.gov.
    Note: Due to NTIA rules, we will not be able to respond to project-specific questions or requests for individual consultations. Questions will be compiled as they come in and responses published in our Frequently Asked Questions documents. You may also sign up to attend BEAD Subgrantee Office Hours to ask questions in a live forum.
  • For questions about the BEAD Application Portal or technical support, contact Ready.net at cahelpdesk@ready.net.
  • For questions about the BEAD Challenge process and Post Challenge Map, email BEAD@cpuc.ca.gov.

Stay Updated

  • To receive updates related to the BEAD Program, sign up using the “Statewide Broadband Updates” form available on the right side of the BEAD homepage.
  • Key BEAD Program documents will also be provided through the CPUC BEAD proceeding (Rulemaking 23-02-016) service list. You can sign up here.