Welcome to California’s BEAD Permissible Challengers Page
Welcome to the page for local governments, Tribal governments, nonprofits, and broadband service providers, which are the “permissible challengers” allowed by BEAD Program rules.
Select one of the options below to register as a permissible challenger or read the Challenge Portal user guide. Further down on the page, you can download data files of unserved, underserved, served, and CAI locations.
Data Download
These files show the pre-Challenge Process classification (unserved, underserved, or served) of each Broadband Serviceable Location (BSL) in California by FCC Location ID. The files include pre-challenge modifications and deduplication of federal commitments.
*Please note: These CSV files may have record counts exceeding the viewable limits in Microsoft Excel and/or other applications.
Unserved
These BSLs reportedly have at least one of the following:
- No access to broadband service
- Speeds of less than 25/3 Mbps
- Latency greater than 100 milliseconds
These locations also are reported to lack enforceable commitments for deployment of service that will deliver speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps.
Underserved
These locations are BSLs that are shown to have at least one of the following:
- Speeds of less than 100/20 Mbps but greater than 25/3 Mbps
- Latency greater than 100 milliseconds
These locations are considered underserved based on the CPUC’s BEAD pre-challenge modifications (i.e., DSL modification and cellular fixed wireless modification), and are reported to lack enforceable commitments for deployment of service that will deliver speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps.
Served
These BSLs reportedly have access to Reliable Broadband Service greater than or equal to 100/20 Mbps and latency less than or equal to 100 milliseconds or have an enforceable commitment for the deployment of service that meets those standards.
*The map and data currently provided have undergone pre-challenge deduplication and have been updated to Version 4 of the Broadband Serviceable Locations Fabric, released on May 14, 2024 (showing National Broadband Map Availability Data as of December 31, 2023). The final map and data downloads have been released as of June 28, 2024.
Need help?
If you have questions about the Challenge Portal or need technical assistance, please email cahelpdesk@ready.net.
For general questions about the BEAD Program in California, please email the CPUC BEAD team at BEAD@cpuc.ca.gov.
For Frequently Asked Questions, please visit our FAQ page.
