An extraordinary opportunity is available right now for municipalities and utility cooperatives to optimize an essential element of almost any new broadband deployment project: significant grant and subsidy assistance to help bring their projects to fruition and for continuing operations. A massive, once-in-a-generation infusion of federal grant funding for broadband projects to rural and low-income areas, as well federal grant assistance to states and municipalities interested in public/private partnerships with non-government service providers, is available now.
The combination of the Covid pandemic’s revelation that reliable high-speed broadband has become utterly essential to all Americans, and a rare, temporary willingness of the Congress and the president to “go big” on broadband infrastructure funding—for a limited time only—means that new broadband network aspirants stand to benefit from significant grant and subsidy assistance in constructing and operating broadband networks. Add these new infrastructure funding programs to already existing state and federal grant and subsidy programs, and the environment has never been better for municipalities and utility cooperatives to create and finance viable, state-of-the-art broadband networks and services for rural residents and businesses.
But this unprecedented opportunity will benefit only those broadband applicants that are both nimble and knowledgeable enough to succeed in qualifying for and winning a share of this pie. BBB’s principals have decades of experience and expertise in identifying the best, most well-tailored, and most winnable grant and subsidy programs for their clients. Indeed, we design and tailor broadband networks with these grant and subsidy opportunities in mind, to “check the boxes” in technology, design and operation that will most appeal to the grantmaking authorities.
We have helped clients obtain both state and federal grants and subsidies for decades, from the origins of universal service funding in the 1990s, to the great recession era “BTOP” and “BIP” broadband stimulus programs, to the ongoing FCC Connect America Fund (“CAF”) and Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (“RDOF”) subsidy programs, to the emerging federal broadband infrastructure programs. In short, we know our way around the existing programs, and are always looking for and learning of the new emerging opportunities for broadband deployment project assistance—and sharing that knowledge with our clients to guide them toward successful and financially viable advanced broadband deployment and service projects.