Governor Phil Murphy • Lt. Governor Tahesha Way

Resources for NJ BEAD Applicants

Now Accepting Prequalification Materials

Prequalification

Prequalification is the first step in OBC's subgrant process, and only those who successfully prequalify will be considered for an award. Prequalification is open and will be extended until at least June 23, 2025.

OBC is currently reviewing prequalification submissions on a rolling basis. OBC will notify applicants when their prequalification has been approved or if it requires more materials.

Application

OBC is not accepting any BEAD applications while we review NTIA’s Restructured Policy Notice. We will update the application deadline and required materials once we complete our review of the Policy Notice.

BEAD Program Restructuring: ULFW and BEAD Location Eligibility Public Notice 

Consistent with NTIA’s BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice Section 4 (published June 6th, 2025), unlicensed fixed wireless providers in New Jersey are hereby notified that they have seven (7) calendar days (from Tuesday, June 17th until Tuesday, June 24th) to indicate that they intend to submit evidence that BEAD funding is not required for the locations they serve.  

New Jersey will only consider submissions from ULFW providers who serve locations where the FCC National Broadband Map indicates potentially qualifying unlicensed fixed wireless service is currently available. Data from the FCC National Broadband Map identifies one such provider in New Jersey: Andrena. 

Upon receiving a provider’s intent to submit evidence, New Jersey will allow the ULFW provider seven (7) calendar days to submit documentation and a list of locations supporting the claim that the existing ULFW services meet the same technical and service standards required for a BEAD subgrant (see Appendix A of the BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice). If a ULFW service provider demonstrates that it meets the requirements specified by NTIA’s Policy Notice, the served locations will be considered ineligible for BEAD funding. 

Please refer to Section 4: Optimizing BEAD Locations and Appendix A in the Policy Notice for additional information. 

Please provide this notice by sending an email to broadband@bpu.nj.gov with the subject line “NJ BEAD ULFW BEAD Notice.” The notice must be received no later than 5:00pm EST on June 24th, 2025. 

Instructions, FAQs, Webinars

Eligibility Data

The BEAD Challenge Process allowed eligible participants to submit data regarding the broadband status of locations across New Jersey. The state’s Challenge Process ran from November 4, 2024, to March 17, 2025, and the results received NTIA approval on May 2, 2025. The dataset below includes Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSLs) with final classifications as unserved or underserved, as determined through the approved challenge process. A list of post-challenge Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs) is also included. The data is based on FCC Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric version 4 (as of 12/31/2023), with applicable updates from version 6 (as of 12/31/2024). Please note, locations that are part of an existing enforceable commitment in New Jersey have been omitted from the “Post Challenge Location” file. This includes projects anticipated to be awarded through the New Jersey Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Equity (NJBIDE) Pilot Program.

Request a CostQuest License

Participating entities are encouraged to request a no-cost NTIA Tier D or Tier E License from CostQuest Associates to participate in the State Broadband Challenge Process. However, obtaining a CostQuest license is not required to participate in the challenge process. This license will permit licensees to view the BSL data on a more granular level and is an important tool for analyzing areas that may need to be challenged. The process to request a license may take up to two weeks.

How to Request a NTIA Fabric License 

Review the NTIA Fabric Licensing FAQ to learn about the licensing process and determine the appropriate tier license for your organization. 

Tier D

Entities that participate in any federal broadband programs, including entities with reporting requirement or entities that plan to participate in the BEAD sub-granting process, should request a Tier D License. Internet service providers, for example, should request a Tier D license. Licensees will be similar to those with an FCC Fabric Tier 2 license.  

Use this guide for requesting an NTIA Tier D to assist in completing the application process. 

Request Tier D License

If you have any questions, CostQuest can be reached directly by emailing IFAsupport@costquest.com.

To apply for an NJ BEAD administered grant, applicants must submit all their required documents to the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) External Access Portal (e-Filing). This portal is also referred to as Infoshare.

Please refer to this BPU e-Filing System Walkthrough for step-by-step instructions on how to properly submit your documents. It is crucial that applicants reference the docket number TO25020078 and mark all documents as confidential before submitting, as explained in this walkthrough.

Portal Login

Note: Applicants can submit both their prequalification material and application using the same process.

Register for Webinars/Office Hours

  • Register for upcoming webinars and office hours:

    Thank you for your interest in NJ BEAD. At this time, there are no upcoming sessions scheduled. Please check back soon for updates.

Contact

  • Further Questions?

    Email broadband@bpu.nj.gov with any questions. Please include “BEAD” in the subject line of your email.