Status: Projects Underway
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) is a $3 billion program, from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, to support Tribal governments bringing high-speed Internet to Tribal lands, including telehealth, distance learning, affordability, and digital inclusion initiatives.
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program makes grants available to eligible entities, which include a Tribal Government, a Tribal College or University, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands on behalf of the Native Hawaiian Community, including Native Hawaiian Education Programs, a Tribal organization, or an Alaskan Native Corporation, for the deployment and adoption of broadband service on Tribal Land and for programs that promote the use of broadband to access remote learning, telework, or telehealth resources during the COVID–19 pandemic.
In the first round of TBCP, NTIA made up to $980,000,000 available for federal assistance under the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, which will be allocated to eligible applicants.
Who Can Apply
- a Tribal Government;
- a Tribal College or University;
- the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands on behalf of the Native Hawaiian Community, including Native Hawaiian Education Programs;
- a Tribal organization; or
- a Native Corporation.
Eligible Uses of Funding
Section 905(c)(5) of the Act states that an eligible entity may use grant funds made available under the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program for:
- broadband infrastructure deployment, including support for the establishment of carrier-neutral submarine cable landing stations;
- affordable broadband programs, including— (i) providing free or reduced-cost broadband service; and (ii) preventing disconnection of existing broadband service;
- distance learning;
- telehealth;
- digital inclusion efforts; and
- broadband adoption activities.
Key Dates
- Applications submitted online through the Grants.gov system must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on September 1, 2021.
- Applications submitted by postal mail or by courier service must be postmarked (for postal mail) or show clear evidence of mailing (for courier submissions) no later than 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on September 1, 2021.
- Applications submitted by electronic mail must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on September 1, 2021.
- See Section D in the Full Announcement Text of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for detailed information concerning application submission requirements.
Award Synopsis
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has awarded more than $1.86 billion to 226 Tribal entities as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program
Click here to learn more about Tribal Broadband Connectivity Funding Recipients.
Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
NTIA issued this NOFO to describe the requirements under which it will award grants for the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program provides new federal funding for grants to eligible entities to expand access to and adoption of: (i) broadband service on Tribal Land; or (ii) for programs that promote the use of broadband to access remote learning, telework, or telehealth resources during the COVID–19 pandemic.
You can find full details about this program in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).
Download the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
Contacts
Grantee Support: Grants.gov provides 24/7 support via the toll-free number 1-800-518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov. For questions related to the specific grant opportunity, contact the number listed in the application package of the grant you are applying for.