NTIA Has Millions for Broadband Infrastructure

On May 19, the US Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced the availability of $288 million in grant funding for the deployment of broadband infrastructure. In a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), NTIA invites eligible parties to submit applications, provides information on the amount of funding available, discusses how it will allocate funds to qualifying applicants, gives instructions on the application process, and describes the evaluation criteria for application review and the factors for award selection. To be eligible for a Broadband Infrastructure Program grant, applicants must name the players in a local partnership, describe the project proposed for funding—including the cost of the project and the speed of the broadband service offerings—and identify the proposed service area of the project. Additionally, applicants must disclose any other federal or state support that the broadband service provider that is part of the partnership has received to deploy broadband service in the proposed service area.