Dear USET/USET SPF Family,
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grant (TBCG) Program was established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (P.L. 116-260) and provides $1 billion in grant funding available to Tribal Nations to be administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The TBCG Program provides funds to Tribal governments, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and the Department of Hawaiian Homelands, on behalf of the Native Hawaiian community, for broadband deployment as well as telehealth, distance learning, affordability, and digital inclusion services on Tribal Lands.
Applications for the TBCG Program are due in one week on September 1, 2021 by 11:59pm Pacific Daylight Time and can be submitted through grants.gov under Funding Opportunity Number: NTIA-TBC-TBCPO-2021-2006948. To view the TBCG Program Notice of Funding Opportunity, please click here. To view the latest Frequently Asked Questions document produced by NTIA, please click here. For questions or concerns please contact Laura Spining, NTIA Deputy Associate Administrator, at lspining@ntia.gov, or Nicholas Courtney, NTIA Broadband Program Specialist, at ncourtney@ntia.gov. For more information on the TBCG Program, please visit NTIA’s BroadbandUSA website by clicking here.
On February 11, 2021, USET SPF submitted comments to NTIA on implementation of the TBCG Program. Specifically, we requested an equitable distribution methodology and reporting requirements for Tribal Nations. NTIA responded by setting aside at least $500,000 for each Tribal Nation that applies, though the application will still need to be assessed to make an award. Additionally, USET SPF recommended that NTIA not impose a matching fund on Tribal Nations since this program was established specifically in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. NTIA has since stated that no matching funds will be required from Tribal Nations applying for the TBCG program.
For more information, please contact Brian Howard, USET SPF Senior Policy Analyst, at bhoward@usetinc.org.
|