Funding Opportunities

Program Description

The Rural eConnectivity (ReConnect) Program furnishes grants and loans for the costs of new construction, improvements, or acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service in rural areas. Service provided must exceed 100 megabits per second (Mbps) symmetrical service, however additional points are awarded for higher speeds.

See below for maps of our region's eligible areas and evaluation criteria.

​Award Amounts

Past Awards in Texas

In February 2020 Mid-South Synergy was awarded a $6 million ReConnect grant to deploy a Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network capable of symmetrical transmission speeds of at least 100 megabits per second (Mbps) to 786 households, 26 farms, 17 pre-subscribed businesses and 7 critical community facilities over 385 square miles in Brazos, Grimes, Madison and Walker counties.

Press release of past awards in Texas

Current Funding Cycle Information

This program opened on grants.gov for applications on October 25, 2021. Applications must be submitted via grants.gov.

See program details on the Code of Federal Register.

Where can funds be applied?

Use the maps below to begin defining a proposed funded service area (PFSA). You can toggle through data on eligible areas, additional layers tied to evaluation criteria, and view all criteria aggregated into an index of potentially higher-scoring areas to increase the competitiveness of the PFSA. 

Eligible Areas

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The maps and details on this page are a place to start; however additional localized speed tests and on-the-ground analysis will be required in order to receive funding.

Eligibility Criteria

To receive ReConnect funds, the proposed service area must meet the following criteria:

1. Lack of Broadband Service: 90% of households in the proposed service area lack fixed, terrestrial service of at least 100/20 Mbps.
2. Rural Area: Proposed service area must not be in a city, town, or incorporated area that has a population of greater than 20,000 or an area contiguous and adjacent to a city with a population of greater than 50,000.
3. Proposed service area should not overlap areas that have received prior funding through federal loans or grants, including FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund subsidies.

View additional information on eligibility criteria.

Application Evaluation Criteria

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The maps and details on this page are a place to start; however additional localized speed tests and on-the-ground analysis will be required in order to receive funding.

The ReConnect Program awards points to applicants based on:

1. Rurality - Points are awarded based on the population per square mile in the proposed funded service area (PFSA). a max of 25 points is awarded for population densities of 6 or less or if the pfsa is located 100 mils from a city or town of 50,000.
2. Level of existing service - a max of 25 points will be awarded to projects in areas that are not receiving service of at least 25/3 mbps.
3. Economic need of the community - based on county poverty percentage of the PFSA in the application as determined by the US Census Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) Program. If 75% of the PFSA are to serve communities with a SAIPE score of 20 or higher, a max of 20 points will be awarded. 
4. Affordability - a max of 20 points can be receive based on affordability measures provided (demonstration that prices proposed and speed tiers intended are affordable to the target markets). Applicants should also commit to participating in the Federal Communications Commission's Lifeline Program, Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, and discount programs for low-income consumers.
5. Labor Standards - include a description of how the project will incorporate strong labor standards including wages paid to contractors and subcontractors, among other health, safety, contracting or other considerations for policies and practices that ensure strong labor standards will be applied. A max of 20 points area available.
6. Tribal Lands - a max of 15 points can be awarded if at least 50% of the PFSA is to provide service on tribal lands. 
7. Local governments, non-profits and cooperatives - any applications submitted by these entity types will be awarded 15 points. 
8. Socially Vulnerable Communities - a max of 15 points can be awarded to applications where at least 75% of the PFSA are proposing to serve Socially Vulnerable Communities. 
9. Net neurtrality - 10 points will be awarded to applicants committed to net neutrality. 
10. Wholesale broadband service - 10 points will be awarded to recipients that commit to offering wholesale broadband service at rates that are reasonable and non-discriminatory.

View additional information on evaluation criteria.

Concentration of Evaluation Criteria

The map below is based on an index combining all place-based evaluation criteria to understand where applicants might consider for focusing their efforts.

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The maps and details on this page are a place to start; however additional localized speed tests and on-the-ground analysis will be required in order to receive funding.

Preparing Your Application

• Keys to Success in the ReConnect Program

• Review the ReConnect Program Frequently Asked Questions

• The Fine Print: Program details can be viewed on the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 86 FR 58860

Questions?

Program Description

​The Community Connect program provides financial assistance to eligible applicants that will provide broadband service in rural, economically-challenged communities where service does not exist. Applicants must provide connection to a community facility with a mid-mile fiber line or other strategic technology that is not mobile or satellite-based.

Award Amounts

Grant requests range from $100,000 to $3 million. A 15% match is required.

Past Awards in Texas

Comcell, Inc. will use a $2.3 million grant to construct a Fiber-to-the-Premises network and a wireless broadband network in Newport, Texas. The proposed area covers 73 square miles and 150 households located in Clay, Jack and Montague counties.

Broadband speeds of 1 Gbps on the proposed fiber network and 100 Mbps on the wireless network will be available. The investment will also set up six computer access points with free internet access within the Newport Community Center.

View all past awards from 2013 - 2019

Current Funding Cycle Information

This program is part of U.S. Department of Agriculture regular programming, and new federal allocations are typically announced in October. The application window is typically 90 days.

However, because these applications can take more than 3 months to prepare, the best time to begin finding a partner community and preparing an application is now!

Eligible Service Areas

To receive Community Connect funds, the proposed service area must meet the following criteria:

1. Lack Broadband Service: Lack any existing service of at least 10/1 Mbps. Service excludes satellite and mobile services.
2. Be in A Rural Area: Proposed service area must not be in a city, town, or incorporated area that has a population of greater than 20,000 or an area contiguous and adjacent to a city with a population of greater than 50,000.
3. Other Important Criteria: Proposed service area should not overlap with areas that have received prior funding such as other federal loans or grants in previous cycles. 

Eligible Uses of Funds

1. The construction, acquisition, or leasing of facilities, spectrum, land or buildings used to deploy broadband service for: All residential and businesses in the Proposed Funded Service Area (PFSA) and all participating critical community facilities, such as schools and libraries.
2. The cost of providing service free of charge to critical community facilities for 2 years.
3. Less than 10% of the grant or up to $150,000 can be used for improvement, construction or acquisition of a community center that provides public service.

View additional information on eligibility.

Where can funds be applied?

Use the maps below to toggle through data on eligible areas, additional layers tied to evaluation & scoring criteria, and an index of likely higher-scoring areas.

Eligible Area Map

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The maps and details on this page are a place to start; however additional localized speed tests and on-the-ground analysis will be required in order to receive funding.

Preparing Your Application

For more specifics on the program to begin preparing an application, visit the following links:

• View Application Actions Required

• View the FY2021 Funding Announcement

• All program details can be viewed on the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 7 CFR, Part 1739

Questions?

THIS OPPORTUNITY IS CURRENTLY CLOSED.

Nationally, over 230 applications and $2.5 Billion in funding requests were received. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has released a list of proposed Census blocks for every state and territory as well as a list of Proposed Service Areas.  

Below is a high level summary of key components found within the Notice of Funding.

Program Description

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 provides new sources of broadband funding, including the Broadband Infrastructure Program, to support bridging the digital divide in unserved areas. The Act authorized NTIA to administer $288 million in grants to the Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Grants for “covered partnerships” for “covered broadband projects,” defined as competitively and technologically neutral projects for the deployment of fixed broadband service that provides qualifying broadband service in an eligible service area.

Award Amounts

The NTIA expects awards in the range of $5,000,000 to $30,000,000. The range is not a required minimum or maximum, but covered partnerships requesting amounts outside of this range must provide a reasonable explanation for the variance in their project size.

Cost Share/Matching

No cost share is required, however NTIA will favorably consider applications that propose to constribute at least 10% of the eligible project cost.

Application Eligibility

Covered Partnerships
Program eligibility is limited to "covered partnerships," defined as: "(a) a State, or 1 or more political subdivisions of a State; and (b) a provider of fixed broadband service." A covered partnership may include more than one fixed broadband service provider. Additionally, a fixed broadband service provider may participate in more than one covered partnership.

Covered Broadband Projects
Competitively and technologically neutral projects that provide fixed wireless speeds of at least 25 megabits per second download, 3 megabits per second upload speeds and with latency sufficient to support real time, interactive applications. Service must be able to support providing such speed and latency to every household in the proposed service area.

Eligible Service Area
Covered partnership projects must provide service within any area other than—(i) a county, city, or town that has a population greater than 50,000; and (ii) the urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to a city or town with a population greater than 50,000. Existing broadband speeds in the area must not exceed 25/3 Mbps.

Eligible Uses of Funds

Grant funds must be awarded to projects that provide the following, in decreasing order of priority:

1. Broadband service (minimum 25 down/3 up; latency sufficient to support live, interactive streaming of activities like meetings, telehealth and remote learning) to the greatest number of households in an eligible area.

2. Broadband service in any area excluding the following:

   • County, city, or town that has a population greater than 50,000; and

   • Urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to a city or town with a population greater than 50,000.

3. Are the most cost-effective, prioritizing areas that are the most rural.

4. Covered broadband projects designed to provide broadband service of not less than 100/20 Mbps.

Current Funding Cycle Information

This funding opportunity is currently CLOSED. 

NTIA has committed to processing and notification of awards by November 15, 2021 and the earliest start dates for awards to be November 29, 2021. The Act requires covered partnerships to complete their covered broadband projects within one year of receipt of grant funds. Extensions available under certain conditions noted on page 6 of the NOFO.

Eligible Area Map

The map below highlights eligibile areas as those which have the required population density and which have not been received previous awards of federal funding.

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The maps and details on this page are a place to start; however additional localized speed tests and on-the-ground analysis will be required in order to receive funding.

Other Factors for a Competitive Application

To summarize certain paragraphs and suggested strategic approaches to projects mentioned by the NTIA in the NOFO, to the extent possible within your projects and proposed service areas:

• Invest in Fiber to ensure that broadband infrastructure deployed under the grant program will have the ability to evolve, sustain, and scale for future advanced services and emerging technologies such as cloud technologies, artificial intelligence, health IoT and telemedicine, smart grid, and 5G will all require broadband networks capable of delivering much faster speeds, lower latency, and higher reliability than those now codified by various federal agencies.

• Use Strong Labor Standards to ensure investments be deployed in ways that produce high quality infrastrucuture, avert disruptive and costly delays, and promote efficiency. Include project labor agreegments, promote workforce development, and community benefits agreements that offer wages at or above the prevailing rate, include local hiring provisions, and otherwise promote strong economic recovery through employment opportunities for workers.

Apply Now

All interested applicants should download and read the full Notice of Funding Opportunity here. Applications must be submitted via grants.gov and require a current SAM Registration and Dun & Branstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number to receive an award. Processing a SAM Registration can take anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks. Applicants can receive a DUNS number at no cost by calling toll free at 1-866-705-5711 or visiting www.fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

This funding opportunity is currently OPEN. Applications will no longer be accepted after 11:59 Eastern Daylight Time on August 17, 2021.

Questions?