Grants
The State of California currently has several broadband-related grant programs that support the State’s Broadband for All commitment. Below are summaries of some of those broadband expansion grant opportunities that are most applicable to our region, as well as Federal grants that may be of interest. You can view these and other broadband-related grant opportunities at the State and Federal grant announcement websites.
CPUC Last-Mile Federal Funding Account (FFA)
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Last-Mile Federal Funding Account (FFA) provides funding to Internet Service Providers to fund construction of last-mile infrastructure to deliver synchronous 100Mbps or better Internet service. Grant requirements include a 5-year freeze on Internet service costs and low-cost service plans.
As of the end of 2024, the CPUC Last-Mile Federal Funding Account (FFA) continues to review applications and award grants for construction projects. The CPUC’s Federal Funding Account Awards and Recommendations page provides a visual depiction of Counties with project applications that have been awarded as well as information on recommended awards. The map is not extremely detailed, though. When it indicates that a County has received an award, that doesn’t mean that all project applications in that County have been awarded. There are several project applications that do not connect to the MMBN that have not yet been evaluated, and some project applications overlap, requiring additional evaluation. A full listing of approved FFA and Local Agency Technical Assistance project applications and awards is on the CPUC’s Broadband Portal website.
More information on regional grant awards can be found on the Grant Awards page of this website.
CPUC Local Agency Technical Assistance Grant (LATA)
The CPUC Local Agency Technical Assistance (LATA) grants provide reimbursement for Tribes and local agencies for pre-construction expenses that facilitate development of broadband network deployment projects to areas in need. Grants may be used to reimburse eligible costs such as environmental, feasibility, and engineering design studies or reports; needs assessments, market studies, broadband strategic plans, and business plans; forming a joint powers authority; and consultant and community-based organization services. The resulting broadband infrastructure projects must be designed to reliably meet or exceed synchronous 100Mbps Internet service speeds.
Inyo County, Mono County and the Town of Mammoth Lakes were awarded LATA grants in the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
More information on regional grant awards can be found on the Grant Awards page of this website.
CASF Broadband Infrastructure Account
The CASF Broadband Infrastructure Account currently offers grants to companies and agencies that are authorized by law to provide broadband Internet services for the purpose of deploying last-mile infrastructure to eligible locations. Infrastructure Account grant opportunities are generally announced annually, but overlapping FFA applications required additional review and no opportunities were announced in the spring of 2024.
CASF Rural and Urban Broadband Consortia Grant
The CASF Broadband Consortia Account funding grants are available to facilitate the deployment of broadband services by assisting CASF infrastructure grant applicants in the project development or grant application process or assisting broadband deployment projects related to programs created under SB 156 and Assembly Bill (AB) 164.
The Eastern Sierra Council of Governments received a 3-year CASF Broadband Consortia Grant, which funds the activities listed in the Work Plan page of this website.
Funding for this project (and website) has been provided in full or in part through a grant by the Rural and Urban Regional Broadband Consortia Grant Account of the California Advanced Services Fund, a program administered by the California Public Utilities Commission.
More information on regional grant awards can be found on the Grant Awards page of this website.
CASF Line Extension Program
The CASF Line Extension Program allows an individual household or property owner to apply for an infrastructure grant to offset the costs of connecting a household or property to an existing or proposed facility-based broadband provider.
An “Eligible Applicant” is the customer residing at the location to be served, who qualifies for the California LifeLine or CARE Program’s qualifying income threshold. Applicants who are not enrolled in the CARE or LifeLine programs but have a household income equivalent to the CARE program’s income guidelines automatically meet the qualifying income threshold.
A representative, including a facilities-based broadband provider, may apply for service on behalf of an eligible applicant or a group of eligible applicants.
NTIA Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program (BEAD)
The Federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program provides $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and U.S. Territories.
The Governor of California designated the CPUC to serve as the recipient of and administering agent for the BEAD program for California, and designated the California Department of Technology (CDT) to serve as the recipient of and administering agent for the Digital Equity Plan.
Current BEAD Allocation Methodology uses topography, remoteness, population density and poverty to determine High-Cost areas. Those areas designated as High-Cost areas are will be exempt from the BEAD matching funds requirement, and will also provide for a $75 Affordable Connectivity Program benefit for ACP-eligible households. Our Inyo-Mono region has one Census Block Group that qualifies as a High-Cost area: Census Block Group 060270008001, the southeastern area of Inyo County.
Additional BEAD Information and Resources:
USDA Rural Development Broadband Technical Assistance Program (BTA)
The purpose of USDA Broadband Technical Assistance (BTA) is to encourage the expansion of broadband services in rural areas by awarding cooperative agreement funding to eligible entities. This funding supports the delivery of technical assistance and training to rural communities in need of broadband and rural broadband providers.
The types of activities BTA funding supports include project planning and community engagement, financial sustainability, environmental compliance, construction planning and engineering, accessing federal resources, and data collection and reporting.
Both Inyo County and Mono County were awarded USDA RD BTA 2023 grants for last-mile network design.
More information on regional grant awards can be found on the Grant Awards page of this website.
Connect America Fund Phase II
The FCC Connect America Fund Phase II Auction (CAF II Auction) provides support to carriers to deliver service in areas where competition is needed and in extremely high-cost broadband construction areas. After the reverse auction bidding process ended in 2018, the FCC awarded a total of $1.49 billion over 10 years to more than 100 winning bidders to provide fixed broadband and voice services to over 700,000 locations in 45 states.
The FCC awarded winning bids in four service tiers, each with varying network speed requirements and varying usage allowances, as well as tiers for high-latency connections and low-latency connections. Winning bidders must offer service with speeds, usage allowance and latency consistent with their winning bids.
CAF II Auction recipients in our region include Viasat (Satellite Internet service) and Geolinks / California Internet LP (Fixed Wireless Internet service). Viasat was awarded funds for projects in northern Mono County, and services were reported as deployed in Bridgeport, Coleville and Topaz in 2022. Geolinks was awarded funds for projects throughout both Mono and Inyo Counties, and services were reported as deployed in Pearsonville in 2023 — all other Geolinks projects in our region are still awaiting completion.
Broadband expansion construction project locations funded by CAF II are ineligible for funding under the BEAD program and other Federal broadband expansion programs.
More information on regional grant awards can be found on the Grant Awards page of this website.
Rural Digital Opportunity Fund
The FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program is designed to bring high speed fixed broadband service to rural homes and small businesses that lack it. The 10-year program includes two phases, the first of which awarded support to bring broadband to over five million homes and businesses in census blocks that were entirely unserved by voice and broadband with download speeds of at least 25 Mbps, and the second of which provided support for project locations in census blocks that are partially served unserved locations not funded in Phase I. RDOF projects are intended to result in reliable, future-proof networks by prioritizing higher network speeds and lower latency.
The only RDOF awards in our region were for Frontier projects in Topaz and Coleville.
Broadband expansion construction project locations funded by RDOF are ineligible for funding under the BEAD program and other Federal broadband expansion programs.
More information on regional grant awards can be found on the Grant Awards page of this website.
Note:
The USDA Rural Development Broadband Technical Assistance program map is currently the most comprehensive interactive map that identifies all of the Federal enforceable commitment project areas. This map includes grants awarded from the USAC Rural Development Opportunity Fund, the FCC Connect America Fund Phase II, the NTIA Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program and others.
Last updated: November 12, 2024 1:18 pm