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October 2021 Newsletter |
October 12, 2021 |
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Antonio Martinez is no longer serving as the CBO’s executive director in order to pursue other opportunities. We want to thank Antonio for his service to the state over the last seven months, and wish him all the best. We are currently searching for a new executive director and would appreciate your help in sharing this opportunity with your networks! The CBO Executive Director job posting closes on Sunday, October 17. Until the position is filled, CBO oversight will be in the capable hands of OIT Deputy Executive Director Julia Richman, who has prior experience with broadband.
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Broadband Advisory Board Meeting
Tuesday, October 19 at 11 a.m.
This month’s meeting will include a brief overview of the U.S. Treasury Coronavirus Capital Projects Funds (CPF) from a Treasury representative and then we will open the meeting for questions and discussion from stakeholders. The Board would like to open the discussion for collaboration on the process for Colorado and therefore we highly recommend reviewing the breakdown of the guidance provided by the CBO prior to attending the BAB meeting. Please bring your questions and be prepared for a conversation on how Colorado can utilize the CPF.
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.
Subcommittee on Digital Literacy and Inclusion
Tuesday, October 26 at 11 a.m.
The Subcommittee on Digital Literacy and Inclusion (SDLI) is an ongoing committee to discuss, research and analyze digital literacy and inclusion to provide regular updates to the Broadband Advisory Board. The Subcommittee and its working groups will raise awareness of digital literacy and inclusion issues, build policy recommendations, identify data milestones, and research best practices/models to increase digital resilience. The goal of the Subcommittee is to ensure every Coloradan has digital skills for work, learning and daily life, as well as access to technology, connectivity and equipment needed to meet their needs.
Broadband Fund Winter 2022 Grant Cycle Webinar
Monday, November 15 at 10 a.m.
The Broadband Fund will host an informational webinar on the process of applying for funds from the Broadband Deployment Board. We will go over the mechanics of the application, highlight new developments in submission requirements and statutory modifications, and field questions related to the application process.
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The Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) was provided $5,000,000 in American Rescue Plan funds during the last Colorado legislative session under HB21-1289. While waiting for federal guidance on provisions related to use of these funds, DOLA would like to gauge interest from government entities across the state. If you represent a local or regional government, please fill out the Broadband Middle Mile Interconnectivity Interest Survey.
Please respond by close of business on Wednesday, October 20. Your response will allow DOLA to better facilitate the use of funds from HB21-1289 as well as identify demand for other broadband middle mile projects in the future.
For questions about the broadband program managed by DOLA, please contact Greg Winkler, DOLA Regional Manager, at 970-744-0760 or greg.winkler@state.co.us.
Summer 2021 Grant Cycle
In the summer 2021 grant cycle, the Broadband Fund received 38 applications, totaling approximately $51 million in funding requests. The BDB reviewed applications at the October 7 meeting and funding decisions will be posted to our website on October 13. Please review the BDB Policies for details regarding the conclusion of this grant cycle.
Winter 2022 Grant Cycle
As the summer 2021 grant cycle moves toward its conclusion, we are preparing for the upcoming winter 2022 cycle. The application deadline is January 15, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. MST.
The Broadband Fund will host a webinar on Monday, November 15 at 10 a.m. In the webinar we will go over the mechanics of the application, highlight new developments in submission requirements and statutory modifications, and field questions related to the application process. Interested stakeholders can register in advance.
Please note that the Broadband Deployment Board will be transitioning its public meetings to the Zoom platform for future events.
Changes to the BDB
We are still working to finalize the changes to the BDB outlined in HB21-1109. The transition from 16 board members to 11 is nearly complete, with one vacancy remaining. Current Board members are listed on our website.
The Broadband Fund staff has completed its transition from the Department of Regulatory Agencies to the Office of Information Technology. As part of this transition, legal counsel for the board is also changing. We would like to extend a warm thanks and express our sincere gratitude to Senior Assistant Attorney General Angela Little, who has provided counsel to the staff and board members since the Board’s inception. We look forward to welcoming Andy Frohardt, the senior assistant attorney general in the Contracts & Procurement Unit, as the new counsel for the Board!
Due to the overwhelming response to our Fall data collection, we are still in the midst of processing the data. We hope to publish the data to the Colorado Broadband Map in mid-October.
This round of data collection was vastly different than previous rounds due to the passage of HB21-1109, which created new reporting requirements for internet service providers who participate in state funding programs. We saw a 20% increase in participation in the mapping program and due to the granularity requirements, many of these datasets are very large and require extra processing time. We are excited about the increased level of participation and appreciate the partnership and patience from all of the internet service providers and other stakeholders as we navigate the new requirements.
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On September 20, the U.S. Department of Treasury released guidance regarding the Capital Projects Fund (CPF). This guidance provides details related to applications for funding, including project eligibility, terms and conditions and the application process for eligible states, territories, freely associated states and Tribal governments.
In summary, eligible capital projects include:
- Broadband Infrastructure Projects: the construction and deployment of broadband infrastructure designed to deliver service that reliably meets or exceeds symmetrical speeds of 100Mbps so that communities have future-proof infrastructure to serve their long-term needs.
- Digital Connectivity Technology Projects: the purchase or installation of devices and equipment, such as laptops, tablets, desktop personal computers and public Wi-Fi equipment to facilitate broadband internet access for communities where affordability is a barrier to broadband adoption and use.
- Multi-Purpose Community Facility Projects: the construction or improvement of buildings designed to jointly and directly enable work, education and health monitoring located in communities with critical need for the project.
The CPF is not competitive but states must submit an application and a grant plan in order to receive allocated funds. The CBO is currently working on our application. Tribal governments will be required to submit an application, which will serve as the applicant’s grant plan (see Allocation Methodology for Tribal Governments).
Treasury expects many recipients (states) will choose broadband infrastructure projects serving communities that lack affordable access to high-quality internet that were particularly disadvantaged during COVID and have experienced historical inequalities.
The CBO will work with stakeholders across Colorado to gather input on the process for utilizing the $170 million allocated to Colorado. Please join the Broadband Advisory Board at their October meeting as we kick off this collaboration.
We continue to monitor federal programs and highlight recent developments in this newsletter. Please visit our website for details 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 window 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. Additional resources: FAQs & Getting Started Guide
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NTIA Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP): The application window closed August 17 for the $288 million BIP. On October 4, the NTIA published Proposed Service Areas for BIP, including five projects in Colorado. Broadband service providers are invited to submit information about any services offered in the proposed service areas by October 19. Additional resources: BIP Program and FAQs
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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 here. Additional resources: CMC FAQs & Webinars
Federal Program Updates
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NTIA Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP): The application window closed on September 1 for the $1 billion TBCP. The NTIA announced that it received more than 280 applications for a total of over $5 billion in funding requests. The Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Indian Tribes applied for over $68 million in funding for last-mile and middle-mile grants. 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 Hackbarth (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 20, the U.S. Treasury released guidance for States, Territories, and Freely Associated States and for Tribal Governments. Deadlines to request funding are December 27, 2021 for states, territories & freely associated states and June 1, 2022 for tribal governments. 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 6 million households in the U.S.—approximately 63,000 in Colorado—have enrolled since May 12, representing 1 out of 8 eligible households in Colorado. Additional resources: Enroll, EBB Program Tracker (participation metrics and fund balance), EBB Outreach Toolkit, Colorado EBB Providers
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FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF): On October 7, FCC announced that it is ready to authorize $163 million to 42 providers through the RDOF. To date, no funding has been authorized in Colorado. As part of this process, 85 winning bidders have chosen not to pursue buildout in 5,089 census blocks in response to letters the FCC sent asking applicants to review their bids in areas where there was evidence of existing service or questions of potential waste. This includes three winning bidders and 21 census blocks in Colorado.
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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.
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