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Broadband Funding & Infrastructure Bill

The long-awaited federal infrastructure bill has finally been approved by the President.

What can state and local governments do with the $65 billion dedicated for broadband? States and local areas with connectivity projects & issues will discover a large number of funding alternatives. Here are some details about the new broadband infrastructure bill and what it means for telecommunication in the U.S.

Deployment of Funds

$42 billion will be spent on the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, which will be handled by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

According to an article published on GovTech.com, This initiative will provide grants to states for:

  • Rural and remote areas where internet connections are not as prevalent.
  • The construction of a new high-speed digital network  for remote areas and multi-family housing.
  • General broadband adoption.
  • Other items deemed necessary by the NTIA.
Ultimately, the goal of this new funding is to drive innovation and keep internet plans affordable and accessible to everyone.
 
Organizations working in areas of public health and law will be eligible for financial assistance. Non-profits, public-private partnerships, private businesses, utilities, and local governments will all be able to apply. 
 
Recently the NTIA released a request for comment on the broadband infrastructure act grant programs. Read more about the request for comment here.
 
Below, we outline what programs this new legislation will entail.
Broadband funding for rural areas

Middle Mile Grant Program

The legislation also creates a grant program to support middle-mile infrastructure deployment, with $1 billion allocated for this purpose.

Middle-mile infrastructure is defined as broadband infrastructure that “does not connect directly to an end-user location” and can include leased dark fiber, interoffice transport, backhaul, carrier-neutral exchange facilities, undersea cables and connections to data centers. 

Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program

The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) was created to help meet the unique broadband needs of Native American tribes. The program provides $2B in funding to support the construction, expansion, and operation of broadband infrastructure and services on tribal lands.