Rural eConnectivity Pilot Program

 

The ReConnect Program provides loans, grants, and loan/grant combination awards to facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas. An essential goal of the ReConnect Program is to expand broadband service to rural areas without sufficient access to broadband, defined at the time of the funding notice (at a minimum: 10 megabits per second (Mbps) downstream and 1 Mbps upstream). In facilitating the expansion of broadband services and infrastructure, the program will fuel long-term rural economic development and opportunities in rural America.

Active 10.752 Rural Utilities Service, Department of Agriculture B - Project Grants; E - Direct Loans Not applicable. The ReConnect Program is authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Pub. L. 115-141), which directs the pilot to be conducted under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.)., Title VII—General Provisions, Part N/A, Section 779 Applicants must submit unqualified, audited financial statements for the two previous years from the date the application is submitted. Applicants may have limited eligibility for the program depending on the characteristics of the proposed funded service area defined in the application. Not applicable. Applicants must submit their applications online through the ReConnect Program Portal's online application system. The online application requires applicants to provide documentation related to the organization; relationships with parent, subsidiary, or other affiliated entities; state or tribal certifications; organization financial position; existing network; and the proposed project. Preapplication coordination is required. Coordination is required with state(s) or tribe(s), depending on the organization and proposed project. An EIS or EA may be required. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Applicants must create a Level II eAuthentication Account, register in SAM.gov, acquire a DUNS number, create a Resolution identifying the applicant and specific representatives, request access to the ReConnect Online Application System, create an online account in the ReConnect Program Portal, create an application, and submit the application online. The online application system guides applicants as they complete their application. The Agency approves the award. Successful applicants will receive an offer letter and award documents from RUS following award notification. No funds will be disbursed under this program until all other sources of funding have been obtained and any other pre-award conditions have been met. RUS loan and grant advances are made at the request of the Awardee according to the procedures stipulated in the Award Documents. April 23, 2019 to May 31, 2019 All applications for 100% grant funding must be submitted by this deadline. April 23, 2019 to June 21, 2019 All applications for 50/50 loan/grant funding must be submitted by this deadline. April 23, 2019 to July 12, 2019 All applications for 100% loan funding must be submitted by this deadline. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines Not applicable. Not applicable. Not applicable. The ReConnect Program specifies evaluation criteria for the competitive windows (i.e., grant and 50/50 loan/grant combination). Applications are scored based on rurality of the proposed funded service area; the number of farms, businesses, healthcare, educational, and critical community facilities served; performance of the offered service; presence of certain state broadband activities; and presence of tribal lands in the proposed funded service area. Award funds may be used to pay for the following costs: (i) To fund the construction or improvement of facilities, including buildings and land, required to provide broadband service, including facilities required for providing other services over the same facilities, such as equipment required to comply with CALEA; (ii) To fund reasonable preapplication expenses in an amount not to exceed five percent of the award. Preapplication expenses may be reimbursed only if they are incurred after the publication date of this FOA, and properly documented. Preapplication expenses must be included in the first request for award funds, and will be funded with either grant or loan funds. If the funding category applied for has a grant component, then grant funds will be used for this purpose; (iii) To fund the acquisition of an existing system that does not currently provide sufficient access to broadband for upgrading that system to meet the requirements of this FOA. The cost of the acquisition is limited to 40 percent of the amount requested. Acquisitions can only be considered in the 100 percent loan category; and (iv) To fund terrestrial-based facilities for satellite broadband service, provided the applicant clearly identifies the PFSA, demonstrates the ability to provide 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream simultaneously to every premises in the PFSA, and offers subscribers reasonable service plans that do not cap bandwidth usage. Performance Reports: See Cash and Progress Reports for relevant details. Awardees must submit annual comparable audited financial statements along with a report on compliance and on internal control over financial reporting, and management letter in accordance with the requirements of 7 CFR part 1773. Awardee records shall be retained and preserved in accordance with the provisions of 7 CFR part 1770, subpart A. In addition, awardees must adopt a system of accounts for maintaining financial records acceptable to the Agency, as described in 7 CFR part 1770, subpart B. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is . For the grant, applicants must provide a matching contribution equal to 25 percent of the cost of the overall project.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. Loans can be made not to exceed the composite economic life of facilities and equipment plus three years (average loan maturity is 18 yrs). See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Provision is normally made for advances to be completed within 5 years. Advances of funds are requested by the recipient and are made subject to requirements. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: Provision is normally made for advances to be completed within 5 years. Advances of funds are requested by the recipient and are made subject to requirements. None/Not specified. Assistant Administrator, Telecommunications Program, Rural Utilities Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, DC 20250 USA
laurel.leverrier@usda.gov
Phone: 202) 720–9554 https://www.usda.gov/reconnect 12-4146-0-3-452 (Project Grants) FY 22$880,545,039.00; FY 23 est $228,000,000.00; FY 24 FY 21$191,815,599.00; FY 20$942,229,037.00; FY 19$7,210,117.00; FY 18$600,000,000.00; - (Direct Loans) FY 22$260,843,016.00; FY 23 est $0.00; FY 24 FY 21$21,809,286.00; FY 20$362,117,009.00; FY 19 FY 18 - (Project Grants) FY 22$399,438,066.00; FY 23 est $1,350,000,000.00; FY 24 est $0.00; - IIJA Funding(Direct Loans) FY 22$68,920,787.00; FY 23 est $500,000,000.00; FY 24 est $0.00; - IIJA Funding(Project Grants (Cooperative Agreements)) FY 22$0.00; FY 23 est $10,000,000.00; FY 24 - Technical Assistance Award size: $884,000 - $36,493,000 Avg size: $13,629,000 See Forms and Resources for a list of all official published information: https://www.usda.gov/reconnect/forms-and-resources. Regulations for the program may be found at 7 CFR 1740. Fiscal Year 2018 None. The current fiscal year is the first year that this pilot program is taking place. There are no funded projects in prior fiscal years.
Fiscal Year 2019 Funding might be used for a project that proposes to construct a fiber-to-the-premises network that will serve a rural area that currently lacks sufficient access to broadband.