The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on Wednesday made available nearly $300 million in grant funding for the deployment of broadband infrastructure. Grants will be awarded to partnerships between a state, or political subdivisions of a state, and providers of fixed broadband service.
NTIA’s Broadband Infrastructure Program was established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which defined the priority order.
NTIA will accept applications for projects that are designed to:
- Provide broadband service to the greatest number of households in an eligible service area;
- Provide broadband service to rural areas;
- Be most cost-effective in providing broadband service; or
- Provide broadband service with a download speed of at least 100 Mbps and an upload speed of at least 20 Mbps.
NTIA will group applications based on the priority above that each application addresses.
“As a former governor, I know that state and local leaders have the best understanding of the gaps in their broadband infrastructure. This program will allow states and localities to partner with providers to target this funding toward the areas where it is most needed and can do the most good,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
“NTIA has built durable partnerships with the states through our state broadband leaders network, and with local governments and their broadband initiatives through our technical assistance offerings and other efforts,” said Acting NTIA Administrator Evelyn Remaley. “We are eager to put these relationships to work to ensure a successful program that expands broadband infrastructure in communities that need it most.”
Find more information about the program, including requirements for grant applications, in the Notice of Funding Opportunity published on grants.gov. NTIA is also holding a series of webinars about the program. The next webinars are planned for June 9 and 10.
Reader Interactions