Agency: Commerce – National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Description:
Grants to support the expansion of broadband. Funds can be use for planning (e.g. broadband data collection and mapping), construction, subsidies for internet-connected devices, and to provide Wi-Fi or reduced-cost internet access to multi-family housing units.
Bill Section:
60102
New or Existing:
New
Potential Cost:
$42,450,000,000
Timeline:
Until expended.
TCS Notes:
Specifies each State, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico will receive an allocation of at least $100 million and the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands will each receive $25 million. Each State will receive initial funding of $5 million and each territory will receive initial funding of $1.25 million to support broadband planning efforts including building capacity in State broadband offices and outreach and coordination with local communities.
The remaining funding will be distributed based on a formula that considers the number of unserved and high-cost locations in the State, based on the maps to be published by the Federal Communications Commission. The first priority for the deployment of a broadband network is providing funding to projects that primarily reach unserved locations (those below 25/3 Mbps), followed by those that primarily reach underserved locations (those below 100/20 Mbps), and then serving community anchor institutions (1/1 Gbps).