Oregon BEAD Challenge Portal
Introduction
Welcome to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Challenge Portal. Access challenge resources, see the broadband map, and register to submit challenges. To submit a challenge, as per the NTIA guidance, you must represent a non-profit organization, tribal nations, or broadband service providers. Registration takes less than two minutes so register now. Once your identity has been confirmed, you will be granted credentials to the platform from which you can submit any number of challenges once the Challenge Process begins on April 22, 2024. Review the program overview below to see the different challenge categories and types to ensure you submit the appropriate evidence for each. When more than six locations are serviced by the same provider and technology is challenged in a given census block group, the entire census block group will be considered challenged. After the challenge window closes on May 22, 2024, the rebuttal window will open to provide any counter-evidence to a challenge. After the rebuttal window closes, challenges will be adjudicated, and the updated map will be used as the basis for allocating BEAD funding across the state.
Program Overview
Challenge Categories and Types
To submit a challenge, challengers will be required to select from the following challenge options:
- Planned or Existing Service
- Planned Service: Broadband Service will be deployed to the locations selected by June 30, 2024.
- Existing Service: Broadband Service is already provided to the locations selected but not yet reflected in the FCC National Broadband Map. Oregon is using the version published on March 5, 2024.
- Enforceable Commitment
- Enforceable Commitment: Broadband Service will be provided to the locations selected under an enforceable commitment.
- Not Part of an Enforceable Commitment: Broadband Service will not be provided to the locations selected under an enforceable commitment.
- Provider Service Level (Reported Service)
- Availability: The broadband service identified is not offered at the location, including a unit of a multiple dwelling unit (MDU).
- Latency: The round-trip latency of the broadband service exceeds 100 ms.
- Data Cap: The only service plans marketed to consumers impose a capacity allowance (“data cap”) of less than 600 GB per month on the consumer.
- Technology: The technology of the broadband service indicated for this location is incorrect.
- Business Service Only: The location is residential, but the service offered is marketed or available only to businesses.
- Community Anchor Institution Challenge
- Location is a CAI: The location should be classified as a CAI.
- Location is not a CAI: The location is currently labeled as a CAI but is a residence, a non-CAI business, or is no longer in operation.
Location Selection
The challenge portal only allows challengers to select a subset of locations from the geospatial interface. This subset is modified based on the challenge category and type selected. For example, in a provider service level challenge, only served or underserved locations from the selected provider and technology type are selectable. In a CAI challenge, only one location can be selected at a time. This aims to simplify the challenge process and ensure that locations are not incorrectly selected for a given challenge. Any number of locations may be selected for a provider service level or planned or existing service challenge although it is recommended to submit multiple smaller challenges to track challenges more easily and ensure that it is not invalidated due to being partially inaccurate. There is no limit on the number of challenges that may be submitted. Locations may be selected by uploading shapefiles, selecting from an existing library of shapefiles, drawing on the map, 'shift-dragging ' across a set of locations, or individually selecting locations.
Evidence Submission
Each challenge type requires a different type of evidence and lists different questions during the challenge submission process. Evidence may be submitted in the form of file uploads, narrative support, or both. Evidence may be added after a challenge has been submitted up until the challenge window closes. After a challenge passes initial review, challenged entities will be notified and will be able to submit a rebuttal when the rebuttal window opens.
