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| September 2021 Newsletter |
September 14, 2021 |
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Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Needs More Applicants from Colorado
According to research from the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, only an estimated one in seven eligible households have enrolled in the Federal Communications Commission's Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB) so far. As of September 13, 59,216 of the 471,049 eligible Colorado households were enrolled (13% participation). At the CBO, we want to see that number rise in the coming months so that Coloradans are taking advantage of every opportunity to connect with the economic, health and educational benefits broadband provides.
The EBB Program provides a broadband and/or device benefit for qualifying low-income consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Households can receive a monthly benefit of up to $50 to cover the cost of internet service (up to $75 on qualifying tribal lands), and through the program, service providers may offer a one-time internet connected device benefit of up to $100 for a computer, tablet or laptop with a co-payment of more than $10 but less than $50. This program is temporary and will expire when the fund runs out of money or six months after the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the COVID-19 health emergency.
We know that low participation is largely due to people not knowing the EBB Program exists, but it’s also a result of accessibility, language and documentation barriers. Please help us spread the word to your communities and networks so that we can connect as many Coloradans as possible. Find more information on our website’s EBB page.
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Broadband Advisory Board Meeting
Tuesday, September 21 at 11 a.m.
This month’s meeting will feature a panel discussion with state broadband leaders, including Peggy Schaffer, director of the ConnectMe Authority in Maine, and Russ Elliott, director of the Washington State Broadband Office, along with several others. The panel will focus on how these other states are spending federal funding to deploy broadband, related policies and roadblocks they see as barriers to deploying broadband. As always, public comment is available at the beginning of the meeting and a question and answer section will be held after the presentation. Visit the Broadband Advisory Board page on our website to register for this meeting and view the agenda, public comment policy and information on future meetings.
September Lunch & Learn: Trailblazer Broadband/Estes Park Municipal Broadband
Tuesday, September 28 at Noon
This month's Lunch & Learn webinar will feature Josh Cramer, network architect for Trailblazer Broadband in Estes Park. He will share Estes Park's story of starting a municipal broadband utility from scratch, establishing a multi-municipality area network in the Front Range and maintaining upstream connectivity in a mountain town through a variety of natural disasters.
Broadband Deployment Board Meeting: Application Review
Thursday, October 7 at 9 a.m.
The Broadband Deployment Board (BDB) will begin reviewing applications from the Summer 2021 Grant Cycle. Due to the number of applicants, it will be a full-day discussion and may require an additional meeting time to review all applications. An agenda will be posted to our website prior to the meeting.
Google Meet joining info (no registration required):
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/hef-zabx-uod
Or dial: (US) +1 515-674-2317 PIN: 158 542 365#
If you would like to remotely provide public comment during the meeting, email brian.martin@state.co.us and stephen.gould@state.co.us at least 24 hours before the meeting start time.
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Summer 2021 Grant Cycle
In the Summer 2021 Grant Cycle, the Broadband Fund received 38 applications, totaling approximately $51 million in funding requests, making it another extremely competitive cycle. The 60-day comment period closed on September 13. Public comment is posted to our website.
The BDB will begin reviewing applications at the October 7 BDB meeting (listed above).
Winter 2022 Grant Cycle
The application deadline for the Winter 2022 Grant Cycle is January 15, 2022. The Broadband Fund will host a webinar on Monday, November 15 at 10 a.m. to announce the upcoming Winter 2022 Grant Cycle. Interested stakeholders can register in advance for this meeting.
Please note that the Broadband Deployment Board will be transitioning its public meetings to the Zoom platform for future events. Registration will be required for this webinar and all events afterwards.
Changes to the BDB
Due to changes outlined in HB21-1109, the BDB consists of 11 members effective September 1. A list of BDB members is included on our website and will be updated as board members are confirmed.
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Our fall data collection closed on September 3. We received granular data from 51% of providers, including 6 providers who are brand new to our program. We are excited about the increased level of participation during this data collection and we appreciate the partnership and patience from all of the internet service providers as we navigate the new requirements outlined in HB21-1109.
The data will be processed and posted to the Colorado Broadband Map in early October.
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The Senate passed a bipartisan legislative package of $1.2 trillion for infrastructure funding that continues to work its way through the House. We continue to monitor any changes to the $65 billion in broadband access and adoption programs that could directly affect Colorado's ability to close the digital divide. As reported in our August newsletter, these programs include state grant funding for last-mile infrastructure, tribal broadband access and adoption, device voucher programs, broadband service discount programs, middle-mile projects, and digital equity programs. We will keep you posted as the legislative negotiations advance.
We continue to monitor federal programs. Recent developments are highlighted below; please visit our website for summaries and updates on the various programs and funding opportunities.
Upcoming Deadlines
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FCC Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF): The ECF’s initial filing widow solicited $5.1 billion in funding requests, of the available fund balance of $7.2 billion. The FCC announced that a second filing window will open September 28, closing October 13. Applicants may apply for the purchase of laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers and broadband connectivity for off-campus use by students, school staff and library patrons for purchases made between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. Additional resources: FAQs & Getting Started Guide
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NTIA Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program (CMC): Applications are due December 1 for the $268 million CMC program. This program supports broadband access, equipment and the hiring and training of information technology personnel. The list of Colorado’s 13 eligible colleges can be found at this link. Additional resources: CMC FAQs & Webinars
Federal Program Updates
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NTIA Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP): The application window closed August 17 for the $288 million BIP. Colorado’s four applicants requested approximately $60 million in funding for last-mile and middle-mile projects in the counties of La Plata, Delta, Larimer and El Paso. Grant awards anticipated in fall 2021. Additional resources: BIP Program and FAQs
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NTIA Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP): The application window closed on September 1 for the $1 billion TBCP. The Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Indian Tribes applied for over $68 million in funding for last-mile and middle-mile grants. Grant awards are anticipated in fall 2021. Additional resources: TBCP Program and FAQs
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Economic Development Administration (EDA) $3 Billion ARPA Funding: For more details on each of the six EDA programs see the presentation by Jamie Hackbarth, EDA-CO in the August Broadband Advisory Board Meeting recording, or contact Jamie (720-653-4365) or Trent Thompson (303-844-5452). Additional resources: Fact Sheet & Webinars
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U.S. Treasury Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRFs): The $350 billion SLFRF made funding available for eligible recipients to make necessary investments that provide unserved or underserved locations with new or expanded broadband access. We anticipate the U.S. Treasury will issue final rules for the SLFRF in the coming weeks. Additional resources: IFRs, Fact Sheet, FAQs, and Quick Reference Guide.
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U.S. Treasury Capital Projects Fund (CPF): On September 1, the U.S. Treasury released allocations for the $10 billion CPF. These funds will be made available to states, territories, freely associated states and tribal governments following the release of final rules. We anticipate the U.S. Treasury will issue final rules for the CPF in the coming weeks. To receive updates on the CPF, sign up here.
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FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program provides a temporary discount of $50-$75 on monthly broadband bills for income-qualified households. Over 5 million households in the U.S.—approximately 59,000 in Colorado—have enrolled since May 12, representing 1 out of 10 eligible U.S. households. Additional resources: Enroll, EBB Program Tracker (participation metrics and fund balance), EBB Outreach Toolkit, Colorado EBB Providers
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FCC Rural Health Care (RHC) Program: The FY 2022 funding request filing window will open on December 1, 2021, and close on April 1, 2022. View the FY2022 Program Calendar.
It is with mixed emotion that we share Teresa Ferguson will be leaving the CBO to join the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) as the Sr. Director of Broadband and Infrastructure Funding at the end of September. Since joining the CBO in 2019, Teresa has made a significant impact on federal funding for broadband in Colorado and has been the driving force in engaging with stakeholders and educating stakeholders about federal funding opportunities. Her passion for serving Coloradans will be missed. Please join us in thanking Teresa for her service to the state and wish her well as she pursues a new journey.
We are actively seeking her replacement and would appreciate your help. If you or someone in your network is interested in the opportunity to accelerate Colorado’s broadband capabilities, reach out to our team at oit_broadband@state.co.us to be notified when the job is posted. We also will share the opportunity in next month’s newsletter.
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