11 May 2021

American Rescue Plan Act – Section 603

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The American Rescue Plan Act § 602 provides a total of $350 billion to eligible states, territories, and tribal governments. Funds are available until 2024 and are to be used for “necessary investments” in “water, sewer, broadband infrastructure.”

Of that $350 billion, the total allocated to Missouri is $5.475 billion (combining the allocations at the state level and allocations to cities, counties, and non-county jurisdictions). For guidance, refer to the issue-specific toolkits developed by Missouri state agencies for local governments to use in considering investments for their communities with American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) local fiscal recovery funding.

See the most recent FAQs provided by U.S. Treasury for more information.

The American Rescue Plan Act § 603 provides a total of $130.2 billion directly for broadband infrastructure for eligible municipalities and counties. Funds are available until December 2024. Funds must be used to make “necessary investments” in “water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure.”

11 May 2021

Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program

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The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program, which will direct $268 million for expanding broadband access and connectivity to eligible Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges or Universities (TCUs), minority-serving institutions (MSIs), and consortia led by an HBCU, TCU, or MSI that also include a minority business enterprise or tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.

For more information, please see https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/ for updates. Applications closed December 1, 2021. See the first round of awardees here.

11 May 2021

Community Connect Grants

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Community Connect Grants offers funding to eligible applicants that will construct broadband networks that provide service on a community-oriented connectivity basis in rural areas. Specifically, funds will be used for the construction, acquisition, or leasing of facilities, spectrum, land or buildings used to deploy broadband service for residential and business, and essential community facilities (such as public schools, fire stations, public libraries, and public safety stations). Up to 10 percent of the grant may be used for the improvement, expansion, construction, or acquisition of a community center that provides online access to the public.

More information is available here. Applications closed December 23, 2020.

11 May 2021

Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grant Program – NTIA

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The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grant program provides $1 billion to expand broadband adoption and deployment on tribal lands, as well as to support distance learning, remote work, and telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is open to tribal governments, tribal organizations, tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands on behalf of the Native Hawaiian Community, and native corporations. Awards can range from $50,000-$50 million.

For more information, see the fact sheet and Notice of Funding Opportunity. Other information, including awardees, is available here. Applications closed on September 1, 2021.

3 May 2021

ReConnect Program

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The ReConnect Program offers unique federal financing and funding options in the form of loans, grants, and loan/grant combinations to facilitate broadband deployment in areas of rural America that don’t currently have sufficient access to broadband, defined by the law as 10 Mbps (megabits per second) downstream and 1 Mbps upstream.

This program will generate private sector investment to deploy broadband infrastructure to provide high-speed internet e-Connectivity to as many rural premises as possible, including homes, community facilities for healthcare and public safety, schools, libraries, farms, ranches, factories, and other production sites. The ReConnect program offers three products: 100% Loans, 50% Loan-50% Grant combinations, and 100% Grants.

The application window closed February 22, 2022. For more information, see the funding opportunity announcement.

3 May 2021

Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program

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This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area and does not include private, commercial, or business undertakings.

For more information, see the fact sheet. Applications are currently open.

3 May 2021

Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants

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The Distance Learning and Telemedicine program helps rural communities use the unique capabilities of telecommunications to connect to each other and to the world, overcoming the effects of remoteness and low population density. For example, this program can link teachers and medical service providers in one area to students and patients in another.

For more information, see the fact sheet. Applications closed June 4, 2021.

3 May 2021

Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program

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This program provides loan guarantees to eligible lenders to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a public improvement, operated on a non-profit basis, needed for the orderly development of a rural community where the rural community is a city or town, or its equivalent county or multi-county area. The term “facility” refers to both the physical structure financed and the resulting service provided to rural residents or rural businesses.

See the fact sheet for more information. This program is currently open.

3 May 2021

Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans & Loan Guarantees

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This program offers financial assistance to eligible broadband providers that will construct, improve, or expand telecommunication and broadband networks in rural areas. There are three types of available loans: Cost-of-Money loans are direct loans from USDA Rural Utilities Service; Loan Guarantees through the Federal Financing Bank (FFB); and Hardship loans from the USDA Rural Utilities Service. For more information, see the Program Fact Sheet.