HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-22-23 Correspondence - US Dept of Agriculture - USDA Announces Community Connect Program Correction NoticeFrom:USDA Rural Development MontanaTo:AgendaSubject:[EXTERNAL]USDA Announces Community Connect Program Correction Notice Date:Wednesday, December 20, 2023 10:19:06 AM
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US Department of Agriculture Rural Development - Together America Prospers
STAKEHOLDER ANNOUNCEMENT
USDA Announces Community Connect Program CorrectionNotice
FY23 Program Application Window Extended to 2/20/2024
On December 19, 2023, the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) published a correction notice in
the Federal Register. The correction notice makes important changes to the Notice of
Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Community Connect Program for Fiscal Year 2023,
published on March 20, 2023, and extends the Fiscal Year 2023 Community Connect
Program application window until February 20, 2024.
We encourage this opportunity for those “un-served” locations because it might just be the
best value to get there and serve the rural and Tribal areas that are a challenge to reach
or serve.
Highlights from the Correction Notice Include:
Interested applicants or entities who are not Telephone/Broadband or Internet
(ISPs) Service Providers, will need to contact and a service provider to participate in
the application together in either a public/private or private/private capacity (see the
application guide).
Entities applying MUST be able to run and operate the network and serve all the
public essential facilities in the proposed funded service area.
DATES: Completed applications for grants must be submitted electronically by no
later than 11:59 a.m. Eastern Time (ET), February 20, 2024.
RUS will validate that broadband service does not exist in areas that applicants
describe as having no broadband access or access that is less than 10 Megabits
per second (Mbps) downstream plus 1 Mbps upstream.
Areas receiving, or areas that have received final approval for, other federal funding
to construct terrestrial facilities providing at least 10/1 Mbps service in the project
Proposed Funded Service Area as of the date of this notice, and which have been
reported to the agency, are ineligible.
For more information, please contact Peter Hawkes, Montana/Idaho Rural Utilities Service
(RUS) Telecom General Field Representative, at peter.hawkes@usda.gov.
Helpful Links:
TO APPLY - FY23-Extended Community Connect Grants | Rural Development
(usda.gov)
FY23-Extended_CC Application Guide
FY23-Extended_Community Connect Program MAP
Complete information about this change starting on page 87750 of the Dec. 19, 2023,
Federal Register. To access the Federal Register page, go to the link at Federal Register:
Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Community Connect Grant Program for Fiscal Year
2023.
To subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit GovDelivery subscriber page.
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USDA Rural Development has six offices in Montana – Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls,
Helena, Kalispell, and Missoula. To learn more about investment resources for rural and
Tribal communities in Montana, call (406) 585-2587 or visit www.rd.usda.gov/mt.
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