May 19, 2021 – The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has issued a Notice Of Funding Opportunity for a new Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP).

NTIA has $288 million available for grants under BIP, and expects to make awards within a $5 million to $30 million per grant funding range.[1] Applicants seeking grant amounts outside of the $5-$30 million range must provide a reasonable explanation for the request.

Here is a very high level summary of some of the key BIP requirements.

Awards To “Covered Partnerships” For “Covered Broadband Projects”

NTIA will award BIP grants to “covered partnerships” for “covered broadband projects.” Covered partnership means a partnership between: (1) a State, or one or more political subdivisions of a State; and (2) a provider of fixed broadband service. A covered partnership may include more than one provider of fixed broadband service as part of its application, and a provider of fixed broadband service may participate in more than one covered partnership.

Covered broadband project means a competitively and technologically neutral project for the deployment of fixed broadband service that provides qualifying broadband service (25/3 Mbps and low latency) in an eligible service area. The term eligible service area means a census block in which broadband service is not available at one or more households or businesses in the census block.

Priority Of Applications

NTIA will give priority to applications in the following order: (1) broadband projects designed to provide broadband service to the greatest number of households in an eligible service area; (2) broadband projects designed to provide broadband service in an eligible service area that is wholly within any area other than: (i) a county, city, or town that has a population of more than 50,000 inhabitants; and (ii) the urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to a city or town of more than 50,000 inhabitants; (3) broadband projects that are the most cost-effective, prioritizing such projects in areas that are the most rural; and (4) broadband projects designed to provide broadband service with speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps.

There is no cost sharing or matching funds requirement for the BIP program. However, “NTIA will favorably consider applications that propose to contribute a non-federal cost share of at least 10 percent of the total eligible costs of a project. Applicants proposing a cost share amount must document their capacity to provide matching funds in their applications.”[2]

Complete BIP Applications Due August 17th

Complete applications must be received by www.grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on August 17, 2021.

NTIA expects to complete its selection of award by November 15, 2021, and begin announcing winners no earlier than November 29, 2021.

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[1] See Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Division N, Title IX, Section 905, Public Law 116-260, 134 Stat. 1182 (Dec. 27, 2020).

[2] BIP NOFO, Executive Summary, L., page 3.